New Delhi, January 2 (IANS). Union Minister of State Anupriya Patel on Sunday said that all necessary provisions have been made in the Union Budget 2026 to maintain the health of India.
Speaking to IANS, Patel said that the budget presented by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has given special focus to health, pharma and chemical sectors.
Patel said, “India has moved forward on the path of self-reliance and today no sector is untouched by it.”
Lauding the Rs 10,000 crore Biopharma Shakti Mission, the Minister of State said it will “help India become a biopharma manufacturing hub in the times to come, which means it is a big step towards self-reliance.”
Patel said that in view of the increasing need and demand for allied health professionals in the coming times, 10,000 allied health professionals will be created in the country in the next five years and new institutions will also be established.
He said that to strengthen old age care, one lakh multi-skilled care professionals will be trained under the provisions of this budget.
Additionally, to promote medical value tourism, five regional medical centers will be set up in the country, providing education, clinical care and research facilities to the general public and our patients in collaboration with state governments and our service sector.
He said that the most important thing is that till now, there was only one institute in South India to deal with mental health challenges in the country, which we know as NIMHANS, which has a very good reputation throughout the country. To facilitate the people of North India who are facing mental health challenges, we have decided to set up one more NIMHANS in Sati, Tezpur and Ranchi through this budget.
Noting that the existing mental health insurance has been improved, he appreciated the waiver of customs duty on 17 cancer and 7 rare disease drugs.
–IANS
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