Medical fraternity give thumbs up to Budget

Bengaluru: The medical fraternity in Karnataka has given a thumbs up to the union budget. Sharing her reaction, Dr. Vidya V Bhat, Medical Director, Radhakrishna Multispeciality Hospital and IVF Center, Bengaluru said, "The decision to increase allocation to healthcare is a big relief for players like us. Poshan Abhiyan is another good announcement made today as a lot of underprivileged people in India suffer from malnutrition and more efforts to provide good health and nutrition services will help the community." Bhat welcomed the government's push towards schemes like Ayushman Bharat and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.

Dilip Jose, MD and CEO, Manipal Hospitals said that the increased allocation of 135% to the healthcare sector, along with the plan to look at healthcare holistically – including nutrition, sanitation, clean drinking water and pollution control, certainly augurs well for the country. "Significant focus also has been brought to scaling up infrastructure, like critical care capabilities as well as primary and secondary care facilities through the PM Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat programme. It is also very heartening that the FM promised higher allocations as required, as institutions absorb the funds committed at the first instance. Further, the augmented government spend planned for capital expenditure by over 35% would aid job creation and growth in incomes, which would in turn enable people to spend on healthcare when required," he elaborated.

Dr. Somesh Mittal, Managing Director & CEO, Vikram Hospital Bengaluru sees optimism in the budget allocation for the healthcare sector. "The allocation for Aatmanirbhar Health Yojana with an outlay of Rs 64,180 crore over six years in addition to the National Health Mission, is a welcome move. The government's focus on setting up Health Emergency Centres ,Urban Health and Wellness centres and Integrating public health labs will go a long way towards ensuring better healthcare and treatment options," Mittal said.

A Ganesan, Group Vice Chairman, Neuberg Diagnostics called the budget progressive crediting the government for giving a needed shot in the sector's arm. "With a substantial increase in healthcare outlay and key emphasis on public-private partnerships, the entire value-chain in the healthcare sector will gain new momentum and will see major collaborations amongst stakeholders. The announcements of centrally funded – Aatmanirbhar Health Yojana will strengthen our primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare, and setting up of 15 health emergency centers with a focus on curative and preventive health and wellbeing will scale up the delivery of affordable healthcare services,'' he said. Dr. Harish Pillai- CEO, Aster India, Aster DM Healthcare calls it a landmark budget stating, "The all-inclusive approach through the launch of Mission Poshan 2.0 to improve nutritional outcomes and continued focus on cleanliness through Swachh Bharat Mission & potable drinking water through Urban Jal Jeevan Mission will subsequently bolster public health. Strengthening of the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) & setting up of a National Institution for One Health, Bio-Safety Level III laboratories and regional National Institutes for Virology will provide a thrust for the improvement of the healthcare sector in India, which is commendable." Rajesh U. Pandya, Managing Director, KAI India remarked that the doubling of health expenditure indicates that the pandemic has made the government realize the importance of the health sector and the policy and allocation boost it needed. The allocation of Rs 64,180 crore over the next six years and integrating health with various associated factors such as pollution control and faecal sludge management, among others are phenomenal. The budget also gives impetus to the rural healthcare sector and Integrated public health labs to be set up in each district is the need of the hour. The health sector has certainly emerged from the shadows and taken a centrestage. We further welcome the reduction of duty for SMEs in view of the rising cost of iron and steel price," Pandya added.