Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi addressed the Post-Budget Webinar on employment via video conferencing, today. The theme of the webinarwas "Investing in People, Economy, and Innovation,"which was attended by 29 Ministries of the Government of India, 100 panelists and more than 25,000 participants to discuss 43 articles of the recent Union Budget 2025-26.

Addressing the gathering, Prime Minister underlined that "the theme of the webinar, ‘Investing in People’, defines the roadmap of Viksit Bharat and the impact of this theme can be seen at a large level on the budget.” He underlined that “the budget has emerged to be the ‘blueprint of India's future’ where investing in people, economy and innovation has been given equal priority to investment in infrastructure and industry."

Prime Minister emphasized that "capacity-building and talent-nurturing will prove to be the foundation stones of the country's progress, therefore in the next stage of development, we need to increase investment in these sectors. For which, all the stakeholders need to come forward as it is not only necessary for the economic success of the country but also for the success of all organizations."

Prime Minister highlighted that "the vision of Investment in People is based on 3 pillars: Education, Skill and Healthcare" and urged all the stakeholders “to increase investment in these sectors” and contribute to the government's vision for these sectors to actualize the dream of Viksit Bharat.

Highlighting the government's efforts and the budget's provisions, the Prime Minister stated that "in the budget, 10,000 additional medical seats have been announced and the government is working with the target of adding 75,000 seats in medical education in the next 5 years."

Highlighting the developments in the healthcare landscape, the Prime Minister stated that "tele-medicine facility is being expanded to all the Primary Health Centres.ThroughDay Care Cancer Centres and digital healthcare infrastructure, we want to take quality healthcare to the last mile that will ensure significant transformation in people's lives.”

Highlighting the importance and potential of the tourism sector, the Prime Minister stated that initiatives like "Heal in India" are attracting medical tourists from around the world" and "efforts are being made in the direction of making India a global-level tourism and wellness hub." He urged all the stakeholders in the healthcare sector "to grab this opportunity and invest to promote health tourism" and emphasized on “utilizing the potential of Yoga and wellness tourism.”

The Prime Minister also called for a detailed discussion and an extended roadmap for increasing the scope of medical tourism and urged all the stakeholders to work in the direction of making the budget announcements a reality so that their benefits can be taken to the people.

Addressing the gathering, Union Minister for Health & Family, Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda stated that “the biggest investment is the investment in people”. He underlined that the government is working with a “holistic approach” that focuses not only at the curative aspect but also on the preventive, palliative, and rehabilitative approach. He added that “we are also trying to include the AYUSH and other medical systems to ensure the availability and access to heathcare for the people.”

Shri Nadda stated that “since the cancer treatment is a lengthy process with long cycle of chemotherapy, the government is focusing on engaging with Day Care Cancer Centres rather than big hospitals to ensure engagement of patients, post-chemotherapy sessions. The government will establish Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) in all district hospitals over the next three years, with establishing 200 this year itself.”

Underlining the importance of strengthening the medical health system, the UnionHealthMinister reiterated the budget announcements of additional medical seats. He also highlighted the government’s efforts to ensure the availability and accessibility of quality healthcare to the people through more than 1.75 lakh Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs and facility of voluntary screenings for individuals aged 30 years and above at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs for oral, breast and cervical cancers along with the screening for hypertension and diabetes.

Shri Nadda highlighted the government’s efforts for facilitating self-assessment of healthcare facilities and ensure the adherence of all the Ayushman Aarogya Mandirs with the National Quality Assurance Standards. He also added that “since 2014, the number of medical colleges has surged from 387 to 780 today, He emphasized the remarkable increase in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats, with an increase of 130% and 135% respectively.”

Shri Nadda also underlined the key challenges identified and suggestions made during the webinar, including faculty development, periodic assessment of faculty gaps and timely recruitment after assessment to avoid any hindrances before running education and ensure smooth functioning in medical colleges. He also supported the suggestions like faculty pooling among medical institutes, hiring retired teachers as visiting faculties for making the unviable institutions viable; incorporation of competency-based medical education, early clinical exposure for students, and enhanced communication skills for both students and faculty.

Additionally, he also advocated for including latest developments in technology, Artificial Intelligence, tele-medicine, digital healthcare in the revised curriculum of medical education. In his concluding remarks, he urged “for creating a curriculum that is more vibrant, meaningful and fit to current challenges” and “optimum utilization of existing infrastructure and medical faculty. He also emphasised the need to add soft skills to increase the empathy, ethics and communication skills of the medical students.”

Shri Nadda highlighted the developments made in medical infrastructure for ensuring cancer care in the country like the establishment ofNational Cancer Institute (NCI) of AIIMS, Jhajjar, upgradation of Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute (CNCI), Kolkata, establishment of Oncology departments in all 22 AIIMS. Citing a recent LANCET study, he underlined that “timely cancer treatment initiation has improved significantly because of the Ayushman Bharat Jan Aarogya Yojna. Patients enrolled under AB-PMJAY saw 90% rise in access to cancer treatment within 30 days.”

In his concluding remarks, the Union Health Minister stated that “the Government will continue its efforts through the holistic approach to ensure healthcare for allwhile working in the direction of strengthening the base of the medical educationpyramid through ensuring the training and recruitment of nursing, paramedics and assistive staff.”

In his address during the inaugural session of the Webinar, Dr. V. K. Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, focused on strengthening key aspects of the health sector. Highlighting significant advancements in India’s healthcare and medical education sectors, he stated that “the number of medical colleges in India has surged by an impressive 102% over the past decade, increasing from 387 to 780, resulting in a greater number of government medical colleges than private institutions, thereby enhancing affordability for aspiring medical students”. Dr. Paul emphasized the remarkable increase in both undergraduate and postgraduate medical seats, with undergraduate seats.He also discussed the key initiatives that include a special scheme aimed at upgrading district and referral hospitals into medical colleges; the introduction of the District Residence Program links public healthcare with medical education, allowing postgraduate residents to gain real-life experience in district hospitals.

Addressing the rising burden of cancer, Dr. Paul underscored the urgent need for early detection, with a nationwide screening initiative reaching 26 crore people for oral cancer, 18crorefor breast cancer, and 9 crore for cervical cancer.He outlined the strategic roadmap for rolling out DCCCs nationwide, which includes the target of establishing one Day Care Cancer Centre in every district.Hereiterated the government’s commitment towards establishing cancer institutes and tertiary cancer care systems while ensuring financial coverage for cancer care through Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) that offers multiple care packages, while affordable medications through Jan AushadhiKendras. He concluded his remarks with a vision for a healthcare system that meets the standards of developed nations by 2047, describing the budget announcements as "aspirational and game-changing."

Ms Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, underscored the importance of collaboration between the central and state governments. She pointed out that the immediate priority is to identify high-burden districts for the first phase of implementation. She noted that India sees approximately 50% of cancer patients seeking treatment in tertiary hospitals, often leading to overcrowding and delays. The government aims to significantly reduce this burden by enabling district-level chemotherapy and immunotherapy services. She also emphasised the need for timely infrastructure development and the establishment of strong referral pathways linking DCCCs to State Cancer Institutes and tertiary hospitals.

The Secretary also addressed the importance of workforce capacity-building. While oncologists are essential for specialised care, training general physicians, nurses, and pharmacists to manage chemotherapy administration and supportive care at DCCCs will be a game-changer. She called for increased partnerships with medical colleges, cancer research institutes, and nursing training centres to create a steady pipeline of skilled healthcare workers for these centres.

A breakout session on strengthening cancer care in the country, was also organized during the webinar, focusing on expanding Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs). The session highlighted the government's commitment to making cancer treatment more accessible and decentralised, in line with the Union Budget 2025-26 announcement of establishing 200 new DCCCs in district hospitals.Several experts shared insights on different aspects of the initiative that included: the need for structured training programs to equip medical professionals with the skills required to deliver quality treatment at DCCCs; importance of standardising chemotherapy protocols across all centres to maintain uniformity in treatment; challenges of drug procurement and the need for efficient supply chain management, particularly for life-saving oncology drugs that are often expensive and require specialised handling. Tamil Nadu and Odisha officials presented their successful models of decentralised cancer care, offering practical solutions for other states. These models demonstrated how strategic investments in district-level cancer care have resulted in earlier diagnosis, better treatment outcomes, and reduced patient migration to metropolitan hospitals.

The session concluded with a call to action for all stakeholders. State governments were urged to fast-track the establishment of DCCCs by allocating necessary resources and ensuring trained personnel are available. Healthcare institutions were encouraged to support research, training, and service delivery. The private sector was invited to contribute through funding and infrastructure support. At the same time, civil society organisations were encouraged to promote awareness, early detection, and patient support programs.

The Post-Budget Webinar on Budget Announcement also included a breakout session on“Expansion of Medical Education”. The panelists provided their insights and suggestions for the implementation of this ambitious initiative of expanding medical education in the countrywhich aligns with the broader objective of enhancing the accessibility, quality and sustainability of medical education in the country.

The webinar was attended by officers from Ministry of Health & Family Welfare along withrepresentatives from NMC, ICMR, State Health Ministries, renowned doctors, medical professionals and faculty from renowned medical institutions.

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