Hyderabad, July 2024: Thank the Finance Minister for her continued efforts in making healthcare more accessible by exempting additional cancer medications from customs duties, building on the exemptions introduced in the last budget. This, along with the customs duty exemptions for foods and drugs used for rare diseases, significantly alleviates the financial burden on patients who are already grappling with the trauma of their conditions.
We eagerly anticipate further exemptions for drugs and medical consumables related to other lifestyle diseases, which will help make healthcare accessible to even more people. However, it is worth noting that the increase in the healthcare budget allocation compared to the previous year is marginal. There is still a pressing need to substantially bridge the gap in achieving the vision of quality healthcare for all.
Dr K Hari Prasad
Group Chairman & Non-Executive Director,
Quality Care India Ltd.