Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled the Union Budget 2024, highlighting important initiatives to improve healthcare accessibility and affordability, with an emphasis on reducing the financial burden on cancer patients. The waiver of customs charges on three more cancer drugs—Trastuzumab Deruxtecan, Osimertinib, and Durvalumab—was one of the major announcements. The goal of our action is to lower the price of these necessary therapies so that people who need them can afford them more easily.
An antibody-drug combination called trastuzumab Deruxtecan is mostly used to treat HER2-positive breast cancer that has spread. Research is still being done to see whether this medication is also effective in treating other malignancies, such as gastric cancer. When treating non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) with particular EGFR gene mutations, osimertinib is a targeted medication that works especially well against malignancies that have grown resistant to prior iterations of EGFR inhibitors. Durvalumab is an immunotherapy medication used to treat urothelial carcinoma (bladder cancer) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). It works by blocking the PD-L1 protein, which helps the immune system attack cancer cells.
Health experts have applauded these exemptions. Both Dr. Shyam Aggarwal, Chairman of Medical Oncology at Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, and Dr. Harsh Mahajan, Founder & Chairman of Mahajan Imaging & Labs, praised the decision, pointing out that it will encourage domestic production of digital X-ray devices in India. The Director of Surgical Oncology at CK Birla Hospital in Delhi, Dr. Mandeep Singh Malhotra, stressed that removing these medications from basic customs charge will reduce the cost of importation, increase accessibility, and lessen the financial strain on patients and their families.
The health minister also announced revisions to the Phased Manufacturing Program’s Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on flat panel detectors and X-ray tubes used in medical X-ray machines. This is intended to assist local manufacturing, increase domestic production capacity, and promote innovation in the medical industry.
Neuberg Sehgal Path Lab’s Chief Pathologist and Managing Director, Dr. Kunal Sehgal, emphasized the importance of these choices in tackling the growing issue of chronic illnesses, especially cancer, which is a major public health concern in India. The government hopes to lessen the financial strain on cancer families by exempting these necessary medications from customs taxes, allowing timely treatment without the extra stress of expensive medical bills.
Apart from the exclusions related to drugs, the Union Budget also contained provisions for the opening of new medical colleges in Bihar, which is anticipated to improve the region’s medical education and healthcare offerings. The proposed modifications to customs taxes for X-ray tubes and flat panel detectors, according to Dr. Sanjeev Singh, Medical Director of Amrita Hospital in Faridabad, will encourage domestic production of necessary medical equipment, increasing accessibility and cutting prices.
The budgetary adjustments are a component of a larger plan to aid in the battle against cancer and raise the standard of healthcare provided to the entire country. These steps represent a holistic strategy to improve India’s healthcare system, as does the government’s commitment to building new medical schools and expanding healthcare coverage to include assistants, Anganwadi workers, and ASHA employees under the Ayushman Bharat project. The government’s commitment to improving healthcare services and results for all residents is further demonstrated by the statewide rollout of Mission Indradhanush and the U-WIN platform for immunization management.
SOURCE:
MEDCIAL DIALOGUES
