 "Doctor, Medical, Health care")
Establishment of cancer care centres in every district of the country by the financial year 2026, customs duty exemption for 36 life-saving drugs, and extension of social security benefits to online platform workers were among the key highlights in the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget announcement for the healthcare sector.
Sitharaman said that 200 cancer day care centres will be added by FY 2025-26, aiming to ensure that cancer treatment becomes more accessible to people in the country.
The minister announced that 36 lifesaving drugs and medicines will be added to the list of those fully exempted from Basic Customs Duty (BCD). Additionally, six other medicines will be made eligible for concessional customs duty at 5 per cent. The exemption will also apply to bulk drugs required for the manufacturing of these medicines.
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Furthermore, drugs included in Patient Assistance Programmes run by pharmaceutical companies will continue to be fully exempt from BCD, provided the medicines are supplied free of cost to patients. The government further proposed adding 37 more medicines to the list and introducing 13 new patient assistance programmes.
Acknowledging the growing role of gig workers in the digital economy, the government has proposed a series of measures aimed at improving the welfare of this workforce.
Gig workers engaged with online platforms will be provided with identity cards and they will be registered on the e-Shram portal. It will lead to gig workers receiving healthcare benefits under the PM Jan Arogya Yojana. The measures are expected to directly benefit nearly 1 crore gig workers across the country.
