New Delhi: Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, while presenting the Union Budget for 2025-26 on February 1, unveiled a series of transformative initiatives in healthcare and medical education.
A key highlight was the announcement of daycare cancer centres in all district hospitals over the next three years, with 200 centres set to be established in 2025-26 alone.
This move aims to expand cancer care accessibility across the country, ensuring early detection and treatment at the grassroots level.
The finance minister also announced a significant expansion in medical education, with 10,000 additional seats to be added in medical colleges and hospitals next year.
This is part of the government’s broader vision to increase medical seats by 75,000 in the next five years.
She noted that over the past decade, the number of undergraduate and postgraduate medical education seats has surged by 130%, reaching 1.1 lakh.
Further strengthening social welfare, Sitharaman declared that gig workers will now be covered under the PM Jan Aarogya Yojana (PM-JAY), providing essential healthcare benefits to nearly one crore workers in the informal sector.
This marks a major step towards inclusive healthcare coverage, ensuring medical security for those engaged in platform-based and freelance work.
Additionally, the budget allocates resources for digital connectivity in public services, with plans to provide broadband internet to all government secondary schools and primary healthcare centres.
This initiative aims to enhance digital learning and improve healthcare infrastructure, particularly in rural and underserved areas.
With these announcements, the government has reaffirmed its commitment to strengthening India’s healthcare framework, expanding medical education, and ensuring equitable access to medical facilities for all citizens.
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