Dr. Aashish Chaudhry  Managing Director, Aakash Healthcare and Aakash Group of Companies, Dwarka

The Union Budget has built the groundwork and provided a blueprint for the economy over the next 25 years. We are happy with the decision to create an open platform for the National Digital Health Ecosystem. This will include digital registers of health professionals and facilities, a unique health identity, and universal access to health care facilities. The pandemic has brought the subject of mental health to the forefront. For this, the government has announced a national telemental health programme. This would include a network of 23 excellence telemental health centres, with Nimhans serving as the nodal centre and IIIT Bangalore providing technical support. This would undoubtedly improve access to high-quality mental health counselling and treatment services.

Dr Gauri Agarwal, Founder & Director, Genestrings Diagnostic and Seeds of Innocence

We are happy with the decision to make the National Digital Health Ecosystem an open platform that will provide universal access to health care facilities through digital health professionals. The government has also announced concessions on the customs duty levied on mobile phone parts making them cheaper which means more people will be able to make use of the digital health ecosystem. Both of these steps combined together will significantly improve the telemedicine sector’s ability to advance even to the most remote corners of the country. Upgrading existing women and child development programmes such as Mission Shakti, Mission Vatsalya, Saksham Anganwadi, and Poshan 2.0 would also significantly improve women’s health and lifestyle. Overall, the health budget forecast for 2022-23 is Rs 86,606 crore, a 16% increase above Rs 74,602 crore in 2021-222. This will assist the nation in upgrading our health infrastructure as well as preparing for various new challenges.

Ms Sugandh Ahluwalia, Chief of Strategy, Indian Spinal Injuries Centres

The digital infra push right from health, banking to education has been the major highlight. The announcement of rolling out the National Digital Health Ecosystem will give a major push to our nationwide digital registries of health providers and health facilities amidst the pandemic. Even the Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman acknowledged the unprecedented crisis and began her budget speech by expressing empathy to those who suffered during the pandemic. The implementation of a national tele-mental health program, which will have tech-support from IIT Bangalore, will give an impetus to mental health issues as the pandemic has accentuated problems of stress and depression in the people. Though it shows the government is responsive to the needs of the nation, the government must also focus on health infrastructure.