Private healthcare majors feel that the Union Budget presented on Wednesday by Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has given increasing focus on the sector. Dr K Hari Prasad, President, Apollo Group – Hospital, in a statement, said India is poised to be the most populous nation in the world and health will be a critical socio-economic determinant for the country’s progress.

“There is increasing focus on healthcare as is evident from the Union Budget presented by Hon’ble Finance Minister today… While we will get more clarity on reviewing the complete budget document, the initial reaction is that it is a positive and forward-looking budget,” he said.

Artificial Intelligence in healthcare gets a major thrust and this would be of immense help in improving the sector and also create opportunities for research and innovation across the healthcare spectrum, he further said.

Replacing old ambulances with new ones will improve pre-hospital emergency care aiding in saving lives during the ‘golden hour’, Hari Prasad said.
Government healthcare expenditure has doubled over the last eight years and is going up further. With wellness and primary care being the areas of focus, it will have a positive impact on basic healthcare indices like maternal mortality rate and infant mortality rate, he added.

Describing the Budget as a “good one given the tough macro level scenario”, Kamineni Shashidhar, MD, Kamineni Hospitals, in a statement, said it is a welcome initiative to establish 157 nursing colleges as there is need for more nursing professionals in the country.