Budget focus on medical research, aims to eliminate sickle cell anaemia

Facilities of state-run ICMR labs will be made available for private sector research, says Finance Minister

Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman’s Budget speech on Wednesday focused on health and medical education, announcing that 157 new nursing colleges will be established in co-location with medical colleges established since 2014.

The government will also come up with a programme to eliminate sickle cell anaemia by 2047, Sitharaman said. The Budget said that facilities of the state-run Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) labs will be made available for private-sector research and development to encourage collaborative work. The government will also come up with a new programme to promote research and innovation in pharma through centres of excellence.

A new programme for research in pharmaceuticals will be made and the industry will be encouraged to invest through public-private partnerships.

Sitharaman said despite a global slowdown because of Covid-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war, the Indian economy was "on the right track"