Union Health Ministry Gets 12.96% Budget Hike; Cancer Drugs Exempted from Customs Duty

The Union health ministry has been allocated Rs 90,958.63 crore in the 2024-2025 budget, marking a 12.96% increase. Additionally, three cancer treatment drugs will be exempted from Customs duties. The budget boost includes increased funding for various health programs and autonomous bodies like AIIMS and ICMR.

The Union health ministry's budget for 2024-2025 has surged to Rs 90,958.63 crore, reflecting a substantial 12.96% increase over the previous year's revised estimates of Rs 80,517.62 crore. The government has also declared Customs duty exemptions for three cancer treatment medications: Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Osimertinib, and Durvalumab.

'To provide relief to cancer patients, I propose to fully exempt three more medicines from Customs duties,' Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced during her budget presentation in Parliament on Tuesday. Changes in the Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on X-Ray tubes and flat panel detectors for medical X-Ray machines under the Phased Manufacturing Program were also proposed.

The AYUSH Ministry's budget has increased from Rs 3,000 crore to Rs 3,712.49 crore, while Rs 87,656.90 crore out of the total Rs 90,958.63 crore has been earmarked for the Department of Health and Family Welfare. The budget for centrally sponsored schemes like the National Health Mission and the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojna (PM-JAY) has also seen a notable rise.