New Delhi: Doctors and medical experts on Wednesday welcomed the increased allocation for the health sector and the announcement to set up 157 nursing colleges in the Union Budget 2023-24, saying they will provide a strong impetus to the Indian healthcare ecosystem. This year's Budget, they said, is futuristic with a focus on medical research and paves the way for achieving universal health coverage.


Rs 89,155 crore to allocated to health sector


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The health sector has been allocated Rs 89,155 crore in the Union Budget 2023-24, a hike of around 13 per cent over Rs 79,145 crore allocated in 2022-23.


Dr Ajay Swaroop, chairman (Board of Management), Sir Ganga Ram Hospital said, "We are very pleased that the allocation of funds to the health sector this year has been increased."


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Setting up 157 nursing colleges will help in bridging the gap as far as the number of students needed for nursing care is concerned, he said.


Presenting the Budget in Lok Sabha on Wednesday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said 157 new nursing colleges will be established in co-location with the existing 157 medical colleges established since 2014.


Govt's plan to eliminate sickle cell anaemia


Swaroop further said the government's announcement to launch a mission to eliminate sickle cell anaemia by 2047 is a "welcome step".


According to Sitharaman, the mission to eliminate sickle cell anaemia will entail awareness creation, universal screening of 7 crore people in the age group of 0-40 years in affected tribal areas, and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments.


Dr. Ashutosh Raghuvanshi, MD and CEO, Fortis Healthcare Limited said this year's Budget has paved the pathway for India to achieve universal health coverage.


"We welcome various initiatives announced by the finance minister to address the long-standing gaps in the Indian healthcare ecosystem," he said.


"We also welcome the mission to eliminate sickle cell anaemia by 2047 which will immensely benefit a large population. In view of the G20 presidency, overall, the announcements provide a strong impetus to strengthen the Indian healthcare ecosystem," he added.


Establishing new nursing colleges


Probal Ghosal, executive chairman of Ujala Cygnus Group of Hospitals, said the announcement regarding the establishment of new nursing colleges is a welcome move.


"As we know, several new hospitals are opening every year, but there is a dearth of skilled healthcare workers. So, this move will help to fill this gap, especially in Tier 2 and Tier 3 cities."


"We should invest in research at a grand level now and support from the government in this direction is a welcome move. It is also great to know that leading industry players will partner in conducting interdisciplinary research, and develop cutting-edge applications and scalable problem solutions in the areas of agriculture, health, and sustainable cities," Ghosal said.


According to the finance minister's Budget speech, a new programme for research in pharmaceuticals will be formulated and the industry will be encouraged to invest in research.


Sitharaman said facilities in select Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) laboratories will be made available for research by public and private medical college faculty members and private sector research and development teams for encouraging collaborative research and innovation.


Dr Prathap C Reddy, founder chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group said, "Caring for the well-being of citizens is integral to nation building. India stands tall for putting people first, and this Union Budget, the first in the Amrit Kaal, resonates with this ethos."


"Our nation's digital infrastructure helped us ably manage the biggest crisis of the era - the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the establishment of centres of excellence for Artificial Intelligence will work to add much greater impetus to India's digitisation focus," he said.


However, a few other areas like GST rationalisation in healthcare, gap funding on infrastructure in building hospitals in Tier 2 cities, and rural India in terms of capital contribution and subsidy, should have been addressed as well in the Budget, Reddy said.


Dr N K Pandey, chairman and MD, the Asian Institute of Medical Sciences said the Budget looks futuristic with a focus on medical research, laboratory, research and development, collaborative research and innovation.


"The call to establish as many as 157 new nursing colleges in the co-locations of the existing medical colleges established since 2014 is a step in the right direction for the enhancement of nursing education in the country.


"Also, a new programme to be unveiled to promote research and innovation in pharma through centres of excellence will have a significant impact," he said.