‘National Priority’ status

Subject – Governance

Context – Healthcare sector seeks priority status

Concept –

As the budget approaches, the healthcare sector is hoping for further increase in outlay for infrastructure, reduction in duties and GST to benefit the industry and the common people.
Experts want the government to strengthen the digital ecosystem to speed up adoption of new technologies to foster telemedicine to extend reach.
Healthcare should be accorded priority status so that the sector can derive benefit from the GST transition and providers and healthcare service delivery institutions can avail loans at lower rates and extended tenure.
According priority sector status will help in the process of enabling the development of innovative long-term financing structures for healthcare providers apart from creating an attractive environment for domestic production of medical equipment, devices, and consumables while also catalysing research and development.