Will medicines become expensive after the budget?  Healthcare sector has these expectations from Modi government

Will medicines become expensive after the budget? Healthcare sector has these expectations from Modi government


The wait for the full budget for the financial year 2024-25 is getting shorter. After about 10-11 days, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman is going to present a new budget, which will be the first budget of the third term of the Modi government. The healthcare sector has big expectations from this budget. Let us know how this budget is going to affect the healthcare sector…

The government has given this assurance

The biggest speculation in the healthcare sector regarding the budget is about the prices of medicines. This is an issue which directly affects the healthcare sector as well as the pockets of common people. Before the elections, Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had assured in April that there will be no increase in the prices of essential medicines in this financial year. He attributed this to almost negligible increase in inflation based on wholesale prices.

These changes happened at the beginning of this financial year

Earlier, the prices of some medicines have increased since the beginning of the current financial year. The National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA) had announced changes in the prices of medicines, which have become effective from April 1. After the change, painkillers like diclofenac, ibuprofen, mefenamic acid, paracetamol and morphine, TB medicines like amikacin, bedaquiline and clarithromycin and anti-convulsant medicines like clobazam, diazepam and lorazepam have become expensive. On the other hand, the prices of medicines for diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, bacterial infection and allergy have come down.

Expected to focus on keeping prices under control

However, the current situation shows that the prices of some essential medicines may increase. Analysts fear that the prices of medicines based on imported active pharmaceutical ingredients (API) may increase. At the same time, the prices of recently developed and patented medicines can also be expensive. But he is also hopeful that the government can increase its focus on controlling the prices of medicines to make the treatment of various diseases affordable for the common people.

Need to avoid populist announcements

Dr. Praveen Gupta, Principal Director and Head of Neurology, Fortis Hospital, says – Healthcare sector is important for the betterment and prosperity of the country. For this reason, our focus should remain on funding the healthcare sector, so that all people of the country continue to get high quality health facilities equally. The government will have to try to avoid populist measures. These measures may seem attractive in the short term, but they have negative effects in the long term. The government can strike a balance between immediate needs and the needs of future generations in this budget.

Also read: PM Modi meets economists before the budget, discussion on strengthening economic growth