Need for strong investment in digital health solutions such as telemedicine, AI-driven diagnostics, and health data interoperability
By Dr. VISHAL ARORA
Chief of Business Transformation & Operational Excellence, Artemis Medicare Services Limited
The Union Budget 2025 offers a critical opportunity for India to address long-standing gaps in its healthcare system, which stands at the brink of transformative reforms. We appreciate and recognise the proposals aimed at enhancing hospital infrastructure, reducing the costs of cancer care, and strengthening medical education.
Long-term impact is only possible if we look beyond piecemeal solutions and develop a comprehensive, future-ready health-care strategy.
A major part of this transformation should be a strong investment in digital health solutions such as telemedicine, AI-driven diagnostics, and health data interoperability. Not only will it bridge the gap between cities and towns but also ensure access to quality care in even the most remote corners of the nation. While including technology within healthcare delivery, it would ensure that India possesses high priority among all other related areas regarding digital health. It would be both efficient and accessible for every concern in the country.
Equally important change would be from the reactive type of healthcare system to a preventive one. Sufficient allocations must be made for addressing the root causes of diseases in the form of wellness programs, mental health programs, and nutrition-based interventions. Such investments would help reduce the incidence of chronic diseases, ease the burden on the public health system, and improve the quality of life for millions of people. The national health agenda should expand mental health services and improve wellness in general.
Skilled Workforce
The sustainability and growth of the health workforce in India form another area of utmost importance. While scaling up infrastructure, equal importance must be given to attracting, training, and retaining skilled healthcare professionals, more particularly in underserved and rural areas. A skilled and motivated workforce is the driving force behind quality healthcare; investment in welfare, capacity building, and upskilling transform infrastructure advancement into tangible, improved outcomes in patient care.
The current healthcare expenditure in India is less than 2% of GDP, which is very low compared with the average in other countries. To make meaningful progress on healthcare accessibility and quality, it is imperative to increase this allocation to at least 2.5% of GDP. Higher allocation will be able to facilitate critical investments in infrastructure, rural healthcare, digital health, and preventive care.
The extent of the National Health Mission will expand along with health insurance coverage that ensures many more will be benefitted, specifically in rural India, toward better and accessible care.
The Union Budget 2025 must be a catalyst of this change in that it is not only putting investment into the healthcare infrastructure but also a whole, sustainable health approach.
If India focuses on preventive healthcare, digital health innovations, and workforce sustainability, it is going to make long-term health burdens smaller and better patient outcomes and put the country in a leadership position among other countries about value-based health care.
