Union Budget 2023 Healthcare Sector Priorities Investments and takeaway

Today, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget for 2023-2024.

- Increased allocation for healthcare: The Union Budget 2023 has allocated Rs 2.23 lakh crore for the health sector, a significant increase from the previous year.

- Focus on rural healthcare: The budget has emphasized the need for strengthening healthcare in rural areas, with the allocation of Rs 35,000 crore for the National Rural Health Mission.

- Selected ICMR labs will offer research opportunities to public and private medical faculties.
A mission to eradicate sickle cell anemia will be launched by 2047, which will involve creating awareness and universal screening of 7 crore people aged 0-40.
The government will support dedicated multidisciplinary courses in medical devices to provide skilled manpower for cutting-edge medical technology and high-end manufacturing and research.

- Launch of National Recruitment Agency: The National Recruitment Agency will be launched to streamline the recruitment process for central government jobs, including those in the healthcare sector.

- Emphasis on mental health: The budget has allocated Rs 100 crore for the National Mental Health Programme, highlighting the need for mental health support in the country.

-Three centers of excellence in artificial intelligence will be established to advance India's digital capabilities through "Make AI for India" and "Make AI work for India."

- Promotion of AYUSH and wellness: The budget has allocated Rs 3,400 crore for the promotion of Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH) and wellness.

- Investment in medical education: The budget has proposed the creation of a new medical college in every district, and an allocation of Rs 3,000 crore for the National Medical Commission.

- Expansion of PM-JAY: The budget has announced the expansion of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) to cover more families and provide better healthcare facilities.

- A National Data Governance policy will be introduced to provide access to anonymized data.
157 new nursing colleges will be established in core locations.