Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday, February 1, announced the addition of 10,000 seats in medical colleges and the establishment of daycare cancer centers in all district hospitals.
Presenting her eighth consecutive budget and the NDA government's second full Union Budget of its third term, the Finance Minister highlighted the remarkable growth in medical education in India over the last 10 years.
"10,000 additional seats will be added in medical colleges next year, and 75,000 seats will be added over the next five years," she said. "All district hospitals will have daycare cancer centers. About 200 daycare cancer centers will be established in 2025-26," the FM added.
Furthermore, "broadband connectivity to primary health centers will help in expanding telemedicine consultations for rural patients at the village level," she mentioned.
Over the past 10 years, the number of medical colleges in the country has more than doubled, from 387 in 2013-14 to 780 in 2024-25—a 102 percent increase. In the same period, MBBS seats have surged by 130 percent, from 51,348 to 1,18,137.
In the previous budget, the government exempted and reduced the GST rates on three anti-cancer medications and granted a customs duty exemption. The three anti-cancer drugs were given a reduced GST rate of 5 percent, down from the previous 12 percent.
Cancers are rising exponentially in India. According to a Lancet study, India had about 12 lakh new cases and 9.3 lakh deaths due to cancer in 2019, making it the second-largest contributor to the disease burden in Asia. The number of cases rose to 13.9 lakh in 2020 and continued to increase to 14.2 lakh in 2021 and 14.6 lakh in 2022, according to the study.
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