It dwells on colocating 157 nursing colleges with medical colleges and eliminating sickle cell anaemia by 2047 

The Budget 2023-24 proposes to focus on medical research and pharma innovation, says Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman while presenting Budget 2023-24 in the Parliament. 

Nursing Colleges - One hundred and fifty-seven new nursing colleges will be established in co-location with the existing 157 medical colleges established since 2014.

Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission - A Mission to eliminate Sickle Cell Anaemia by 2047 will be launched. It will entail awareness creation, universal screening of 7 crore people in the age group of 0-40 years in affected tribal areas, and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments.

Medical Research - Facilities in select ICMR Labs will be made available for research by public and private medical college faculty and private sector R&D teams for encouraging collaborative research and innovation.

Pharma Innovation - A new programme to promote research and innovation in pharmaceuticals will be taken up through centers of excellence. We shall also encourage industry to invest in research and development in specific priority areas.

Multidisciplinary courses for medical devices - Dedicated multidisciplinary courses for medical devices will be supported in existing institutions to ensure availability of skilled manpower for futuristic medical technologies, high-end manufacturing and research.

Industry’ reaction on Union Budget 2023-24

Dr. Prathap C. Reddy, Founder Chairman, Apollo Hospitals Group

Caring for the wellbeing of citizens is integral to nation building, India stands tall for putting people first, and this Union Budget, the first in the Amrit Kaal, resonates with this ethos.

India’s economic growth is amongst the highest in the world and a defining edge is the youthful demography. Therefore, the impetus on skilling is noteworthy. Also, it is heartening that 157 new nursing colleges will be established as it will contribute to improving the nurse-patient ratio, a step in the right direction towards universal health coverage. It is also a right step towards India building a global workforce, to serve the world.

Our nation’s digital infrastructure helped us ably manage the biggest crisis of the era – the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, the establishment of centres of excellence for Artificial Intelligence (AI) will work to add much greater impetus to India’s digitization focus. Likewise, the 100 labs that will be setup for developing apps using 5G services across sectors including healthcare, will be beneficial in accelerating access to care for all our citizens. 

Sanjiv Navangul, MD & CEO, Bharat Serums and Vaccines

The first budget in Amrit Kaal that envisions a fruitful and prosperous India@100 has provided much-deserved attention to pharmaceutical research. We are delighted with the announcement of a new pharma research program that promotes research and innovation through centres of excellence. This reaffirms India’s commitment towards research and innovation as we strengthen our vision towards Making in India and Innovating in India for India and the world.

The role of AI (Artificial Intelligence) in healthcare has grown exponentially. The proposed centres of excellence for AI in advancing research in key priority sectors such as health, will bring health closer to home for all citizens. The government's efforts to build capabilities and domestic capacities will provide a supportive framework to build an Aatmanirbhar Bharat and an 'Amrit Kal' for every citizen of the country.

Suneeta Reddy, Managing Director, Apollo Hospitals Group

The union budget this year was an exercise in consistency, stability and transparency. It has sustained the focus on growth, while building synchrony with evolving themes for the future. It was highly forward-looking with several initiatives built to support future ambitions, talent and potential, and building the infrastructure to unlock all these. Now the 5th largest economy in the world, accelerating to become the 3rd largest is not very far away given the extent of efforts made in this budget - from heightened infrastructure spending, to building a roadmap for green energy and green mobility to AI for India and from India to the world. The needs of India’s salaried class were also acknowledged, enabling higher earnings and encouraging flexible spends and savings. In addition to being a roadmap, this budget was a compass.

Dr. Rana Mehta, Partner and Leader Healthcare, PwC India

With increased allocation, the importance of healthcare in a post-pandemic world is reflected in the Union Budget 2023. However, the public health spend still needs to be ramped up if India wants to achieve its version of universal healthcare. Collaboration between the public and private sector, with respect to the ICMR labs, will not only strengthen the country ‘s ability to combat future epidemics, but will also control antimicrobial resistance, which is amongst the highest in the world.

The quality of the healthcare delivery in the country is dependent on nursing care, and setting up 157 new nursing colleges will greatly facilitate this. Given that one out of five startups focus on healthcare, the concessions in the Budget, with regards to the growth of start-ups and focus on AI, will enhance accessibility and affordability of quality healthcare.

Dr. Tarang Gianchandani, CEO, Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital 

The emphasis of the budget on digitization, with increased focus towards modern tech would ensure speedier adoption of digital tools and enhanced research in AI. Investment towards nursing colleges is a progressive move as that is the need of the hour. Infact PPP would be encouraged to ensure the government can get adequate support from private players and we as a sector are able to come up with setting up these nursing colleges sooner. With digital transformation play and focus on R&D in the budget, it will be encouraged if every tertiary and quaternary healthcare facility can have a R and D division focused on advancement in pharmaceutical biomedical equipments as well as medical consumable to further enhance healthcare output for patients in terms of quality, safety, and cost. 

Private labs can work in partnership with ICMR to work towards this objective and work in unison for better healthcare productivity and efficiency. The mission to eliminate Sickle Cell Anaemia is a great initiative to have a healthier population is yet another step focusing on well-being.

Saransh Chaudhary, President - Global Critical Care, Venus Remedies Ltd. 

The decision to come up with a new agenda to promote research and innovation in the pharmaceutical space through centres of excellence is a step in the right direction. We also welcome the move to make facilities of Indian Council of Medical Research labs available for private sector R&D as it will boost collaborative research and pave the way for advanced medical facilities. If backed by favourable incentives and concessions, these Budget announcements will encourage pharma companies to invest more in R&D through private-public collaborations. We hope the proposed blueprint for pharmaceutical research serves as the impetus to propel India to the top as a global pharma superpower through value creation based on cutting-edge research.

Rajat Goel, Co-founder and CEO, EyeQ

A lot of star-ups have been stepping into the healthcare sector to address different challenges attentively. However, catering to the world’s second-largest population demands skilled professionals. And we can never have enough when it comes to talent in the medical field. Therefore, we are glad that the government is focusing on better education by announcing 157 new nursing colleges. Additionally, pharma goes hand in hand with healthcare and requires continued research and financing, and the new program to promote research and innovation in pharma will be taken up through Centres of Excellence (CoE) can certainly serve the purpose.

Archit Garg, Co-founder, Glamyo Health

Widening the infrastructure pan India is the primary need when it comes to strengthening the healthcare structure. And to do so we need skilled talent and thicker allocation. Last year, the Finance Minister had announced AI intervention in health, and NDHM, which had fueled the infrastructure aspect, while this year the budget has included the wish for more talent by announcing 157 new nursing colleges in co-location with medical colleges. Simultaneously, the new entrepreneurs that came forward to contribute to the healthcare ecosystem can now enjoy the ease of compliance too. It is a holistic approach for healthcare spread over two year if one sees it together.

Gautam Chopra, Founder and CEO, BeatO

Even though the Budget this year focuses on strengthening the healthcare infrastructure, it is prudent to point out that the growing demands on our healthcare system cannot be met only by increasing the physical infrastructure. The setting up of 157 new nursing colleges is a huge step towards meeting the ever growing demand for providing care through paramedical staff. However, for care to reach those who really need it, it is imperative that they can leverage simple and affordable digital technology, which will help them reach the masses and serve them more efficiently. Integrating this initiative with the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission will be key to delivering services to the last mile.

Opening up of Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) laboratories for research by public and private medical college faculty members and private sector research and development teams to encourage collaborative work will produce great results in providing a sustainable ecosystem for research and development. More support and allocation of resources for health-tech startups to become effective would have been appreciated, as well as integration of digital solutions by such startups within the public health system would help them take their products and services further and reduce the burden on the system.

Behram Khodaiji, CEO, Ruby Hall Clinic

The newly announced focus on a special programme to eradicate sickle cell anaemia in the country is a right step. This initiative will not only help tackle anaemic disorders but also ensure the rural population leads a healthy life. The focus on digitization with result in adaptation of tools using tech which will enhance healthcare outcomes specially in Tier-2 and Tier-3 cities. The budget has greatly favoured healthcare R&D this year by announcing facilities by medical colleges and private sectors which will result in better care giving, which means focussed attention to patients as well as faster recovery. With a vision of India progressing in medical science and adopting advanced technology, we will be able to upskill manpower. While the government has focused well on R&D and building the infrastructure which will encourage the private sector to champion healthcare delivery, what will further help is, how to create a robust and highly incentivized policy for domestic manufacturing of medical technology. The medical fraternity and the people of India would have benefited if there was allocation on manufacturing high-end medical devices or exemption of customs duty on import of high-end equipment.