India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, in her record eighth consecutive Budget speech on Saturday (Feb 1), announced 10,000 additional seats in medical colleges as well as daycare cancer centres in all district hospitals.

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She highlighted that the country has witnessed remarkable growth in medical education over the last decade.

"10,000 additional seats to be added in medical colleges next year and 75,000 seats to be added in the next five years," she said.

“All district hospitals to have daycare cancer centres. About 200 daycare cancer centres will be established in 2025-26," the FM said.

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Further, "broadband connectivity to primary health centres will help in expanding telemedicine consultation for rural patients at village level", she added.

Over the last decade, the number of medical colleges has doubled from 387 in 2013-14 to 780 in 2024-25, a 102 per cent increase. 

During the same period, there was also a substantial rise in MBBS seats, which have increased by 130 per cent from 51,348 to 1,18,137.

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Also read: Union Budget 2025: FM Sitharaman exempts basic custom duty on lifesaving drugs and medicines

Govt exempts basic custom duty on lifesaving drugs

Sitharaman announced that 36 lifesaving drugs and medicines, particularly for patients suffering from cancer, chronic, or other severe diseases, will be fully exempted from basic customs duty.

She further announced that 37 more medicines and 13 new patient assistance programmes will be fully exempted from Basic Customs Duty, where they are supplied free of cost to patients.

Additionally, six more lifesaving medicines will be added to the concessional duty list, attracting a reduced customs duty of 5 per cent. 

"Specified drugs and medicines under Patient Assistance Programmes run by pharmaceutical companies are fully exempt from BCD, provided the medicines are supplied free of cost to patients," Sitharaman said.

"I also propose to add six lifesaving medicines to the list attracting concessional customs duty of 5 per cent. Full exemption and concessional duty will also respectively apply on the bulk drugs for manufacture of the above," she added.

(With inputs from agencies)