New Delhi: In the first Budget of NDA 3.0 government, the Union Health Ministry has been allocated Rs 90,958.63 crore for 2024-25, a hike of 12.59 per cent over 80,517.62 crore in the Budget (revised estimates) for 2023-2024.
The allocation remains the same as announced in the interim budget earlier this year. Out of Rs 90,958.63 crore, Rs 87,656.90 crore has been allocated to the Department of Health and Family Welfare while Rs 3301.73 crore to the Department of Health Research.
In a big relief to cancer patients, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget 2024, exempted customs duty on three cancer drugs. The three drugs are Trastuzumab deruxtecan, Osimertinib and Durvalumab. The reduction in customs duty may help reduce the financial burden on those battling the deadly disease. In her seventh budget speech, the Union Minister also called for exemptions in custom duties on X-ray tubes and flat panel detectors.
"I also propose changes in the BCD (Basic Customs Duty), X-ray tubes, and flat panel detectors for use in medical X-ray machines under the phased manufacturing programme to synchronise them with domestic capacity addition," said FM Sitharaman.
Health budget in 10 points
- Focus areas in the 2024-25 health budget are vaccination protocols and vaccination facilities, infrastructure development in Tier 2 and 3 cities, and vaccination for girls in the 9-14 year age group for the prevention of cervical cancer. India is home to about 16 per cent of the world's women, but accounts for about a quarter of all cervical cancer incidences and nearly a third of global cervical cancer deaths.
- The government also plans to bring various schemes for maternal and child healthcare under one comprehensive programme for synergy in implementation.
- It also aims to set up more medical colleges by utilising existing hospital infrastructure and seeks to examine the issues and make relevant recommendations.
- Healthcare cover under the Ayushman Bharat insurance scheme has been extended to all ASHA and anganwadi workers and helpers. The Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) is the largest publicly funded health insurance scheme in the world that aims to provide health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalisation to 12 crore families.
- The newly designed U-WIN platform for managing immunisation and intensified efforts of the Mission Indradhanush is being rolled out expeditiously throughout the country.
- The budget allocation for centrally sponsored schemes has been increased from Rs 77,624.79 crore to Rs 87,656.90 crore.
- Among these centrally sponsored schemes, the budget allocation for the National Health Mission has been increased from Rs 31,550.87 crore in 2023-24 to Rs 31,967 crore in 2024-25 and the allocation for Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PM-JAY) hiked from Rs 6,800 crore to Rs 7,500 crore.
- The allocation for National Digital Health Mission has been increased from Rs 200 crore to Rs 250 crore. For the National Tele Mental Health Programme, the Budget allocation has been increased from Rs 65 crore to Rs 100 crore.
- The allocation for autonomous bodies increased from Rs 17,250.90 crore in 2023-2024 to Rs 18,005.65 crore in 2024-25.
- Among the autonomous bodies, the allocation for AIIMS, New Delhi has been increased from Rs 4,278 crore to 4,523 crore. The allocation for the ICMR has been increased from 2295.12 crore to Rs 2432.13 crore.
