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Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget on Tuesday, announcing customs duty exemptions on three cancer drugs to make them more affordable for patients. Indian Medical Association (IMA) President Dr RV Asokan said that the budget maintains the status quo for health concerns, highlighting the import duty reductions on X-ray components and cancer drugs.
"This budget is status quo for health concerns, with only two silver linings: customs duty exemptions on diagnostics and cancer drugs. The economy has moved from USD 3.4 trillion to USD 4 trillion," said Dr Asokan. "The amount of investment that governments bring out, the total national health expenditure, is around four per cent of the GDP, which works out to 13 lakh crores," he added. "The investment in health by governments has been stagnant at 1.1 per cent of GDP. Out of this 1.1 per cent, one-third comes from the central government and two-thirds come from state governments. We are a USD 4 trillion economy. 1.1 per cent of the GDP is 3.6 lakh crores. Taking into consideration the inflation and expansion of the economy, the allocation of the health budget has gone down," he said. "The programmes announced in the previous budget, like HPV vaccination and sickle cell disease intervention, have not been rolled out in the field," the IMA President noted. Dr Roderico H Ofrin, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative to India, also praised the customs duty exemptions on three cancer treatment drugs as a commendable step. Speaking with ANI, Ofrin said, "The significant boost in fund allocation for health, including AYUSH, underscores the government's commitment to health promotion, disease elimination, and strengthening public healthcare services." He added, "Additionally, customs duty exemptions on three cancer treatment drugs demonstrate a focused effort to make life-saving treatments more affordable and accessible. These actions are commendable steps towards health for all." (ANI)
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