New Delhi, Feb 17 (IANS): Finance Minister P. Chidambaram Monday allocated Rs.30,145 crore to the health ministry in the interim budget for 2014-15, a move hailed as "positive" by the health sector.

The department of health research has been allocated Rs.726 crore while the department of AIDS control has been given Rs.1,785 crore.

The department of ayurveda, homeopathy, yoga, naturopathy, unani and siddha (AYUSH) has been given Rs.1,069 crore.

Flagship schemes like the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana, aimed at strengthening the tertiary sector, has been given Rs.1,456 crore.

Sangita Reddy, executive director (operations) at the Apollo Hospitals said: "Overall, it is a positive interim budget. I welcome the finance minister's statement about treating universal health care as a national priority."

"The government has to now focus on creating an effective mechanism to fund healthcare costs of the masses," she said.