Experts Urge Stronger Public Healthcare Ahead Of Budget 2026

(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, Jan 22 (KNN) Ahead of the Union Budget 2026, medical professionals and healthcare stakeholders have flagged enduring structural gaps in India's health system, warning that rising chronic diseases, air pollution and workforce shortages are increasingly straining healthcare delivery.

Experts agree that India's public health expenditure remains below 2 percent of GDP, far short of the 2.5 percent target set for 2025 under the National Health Policy, reported the Business Standard.

Call for Stronger Public Procurement and Domestic Manufacturing
Prashant Krishnan, CEO of TI Medical, said boosting public procurement of locally made medical devices could provide immediate benefits.

He noted that sub-2 percent GDP health spending limits access to advanced equipment in Tier II and III cities, and targeted procurement could lower out-of-pocket costs while supporting domestic manufacturing and innovation.

Doctors say air pollution has evolved from an environmental issue into one of India's most serious public health threats, driving a surge in respiratory, cardiac and metabolic diseases.

Dr Gurmeet Singh Chabbra of Yatharth Hospital said the Budget should address pollution-linked illnesses as a core health challenge.

He called for stronger primary healthcare centres to detect asthma, COPD, and heart disease early, train community health workers, and launch a national air quality–health surveillance programme to guide evidence-based interventions.

Cancer Burden Highlights Gaps in Capacity and Access

Cancer specialists say rising incidence and increasing complexity of cases demand urgent expansion of public oncology capacity beyond major cities.

Amit Mookim, CEO, Immuneel Therapeutics, said hub-and-spoke models and public–private partnerships are key to addressing geographic inequities. He also urged fiscal measures, such as import-duty relief and broader Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY coverage, to improve access to costly cancer treatments like CAR-T therapy.

Industry Seeks GST Reform and R&D Support

Medical device manufacturers flagged the inverted GST structure, where finished devices are taxed at 5 percent while inputs attract 18 percent, creating working-capital stress.

Himanshu Baid, Managing Director of Poly Medicure Ltd, called for GST alignment with pharmaceuticals and proposed a Rs 1,000-crore MedTech R&D and clinical validation fund to deepen localisation and reduce reliance on overseas testing.

Health as National Infrastructure

Hospitals, doctors, and industry leaders across specialties are advocating for strategic investments in prevention, early diagnosis, public healthcare capacity, domestic manufacturing, and workforce training.

As Budget 2026 approaches, the debate is shifting beyond allocations to a broader question, whether India is ready to treat healthcare not as a cost, but as core national infrastructure critical to productivity, equity and long-term economic resilience.

(KNN Bureau)

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