Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman Announces Budget with Cancer Drug Exemptions
Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget, announcing customs duty exemptions on three cancer drugs to make them more affordable for patients.
IMA President Dr RV Asokan’s Response
Indian Medical Association (IMA) President Dr RV Asokan said that the budget maintains the status quo for health concerns, highlighting the import duty reductions on X-ray components and cancer drugs.
Dr Asokan stated, “This budget is status quo for health concerns, with only two silver linings: customs duty exemptions on diagnostics and cancer drugs. The economy has moved from USD 3.4 trillion to USD 4 trillion.”
He added, “The amount of investment that governments bring out, the total national health expenditure, is around four per cent of the GDP, which works out to 13 lakh crores. The investment in health by governments has been stagnant at 1.1 per cent of GDP. Out of this 1.1 per cent, one-third comes from the central government and two-thirds come from state governments. We are a USD 4 trillion economy. 1.1 per cent of the GDP is 3.6 lakh crores. Taking into consideration the inflation and expansion of the economy, the allocation of the health budget has gone down.”
He also noted, “The programmes announced in the previous budget, like HPV vaccination and sickle cell disease intervention, have not been rolled out in the field.”
WHO Representative Dr Roderico H Ofrin’s Praise
Dr Roderico H Ofrin, the World Health Organisation (WHO) Representative to India, praised the customs duty exemptions on three cancer treatment drugs as a commendable step.
Speaking about the budget, Ofrin said, “The significant boost in fund allocation for health, including AYUSH, underscores the government’s commitment to health promotion, disease elimination, and strengthening public healthcare services.”
He added, “Additionally, customs duty exemptions on three cancer treatment drugs demonstrate a focused effort to make life-saving treatments more affordable and accessible. These actions are commendable steps towards health for all.”
Doubts Revealed
Finance Minister -: The Finance Minister is a person in the government who is responsible for managing the country’s money and budget. In India, this person is Nirmala Sitharaman.
Union Budget -: The Union Budget is a plan made by the government about how it will spend and earn money for the whole country for the next year.
Customs duty exemptions -: Customs duty exemptions mean that the government will not charge extra money (tax) on certain items when they are brought into the country. This makes those items cheaper.
Cancer drugs -: Cancer drugs are medicines used to treat cancer, a serious disease where cells in the body grow uncontrollably.
IMA President -: The IMA President is the leader of the Indian Medical Association, a group of doctors in India. Right now, this person is Dr RV Asokan.
Status quo -: Status quo means keeping things the same as they are now, without any big changes.
Import duty reductions -: Import duty reductions mean lowering the extra money (tax) that has to be paid when bringing items from other countries into India.
X-ray components -: X-ray components are parts of machines that take X-ray pictures, which doctors use to see inside the body.
WHO -: WHO stands for the World Health Organization, a group that works to improve health all around the world. Dr Roderico H Ofrin is a person from WHO.
