Union Budget 2026: The Union Budget for the upcoming financial year will be tabled in Lok Sabha on February 1, 2026, as the Budget session will commence on January 28 with the presidential address. Ahead of the Budget, Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has been meeting industry experts, representatives of states, economists, and other stakeholders, seeking their suggestions and demands for the next financial year's budget (Budget 2026-27).
The government has also sought input from common citizens.
Meanwhile, startup founders from the Healthcare Industry have put in their expectations and demands from the upcoming budget that includes more balanced tax structures, medical tourism-centric Policy reforms, major for stronger public–private collaboration, and fund allocation for new medical colleges and hospitals in tier I and tier II cities.
Dr Anand K, Managing Director & CEO, Agilus Diagnostics Ltd, believes diagnostics stands at the core of strengthening the nation’s healthcare backbone as it informs nearly every clinical decision and policy choices.
He noted that recent budgets have signalled intent with increased allocations—over Rs 95,000 crore for health and Rs 20,000 crore for research.
According to him, the Budget 2026 should be focused on targeted execution.
"A key priority should be structural issues like the inverted duty regime, where importing finished diagnostic products is often cheaper than sourcing raw materials locally," Dr Anand K said.
More balanced tax structures supported by consistent R&D incentives can ease import dependence and make diagnostics more affordable, he added.
Shifting the focus to medical tourism policy reforms, Pankaj Chandna, Co-Founder, Vaidam Health, is hopeful that India is entering an important phase in its medical tourism journey, as Policy reforms are recognising medical value travel as a structured, systems-led growth opportunity.
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He demanded that the Budget 2026 should focus on Continued investments in healthcare infrastructure, expanding digital health adoption, and improving access for international patients, which has created a strong foundation.
"The next phase of growth will depend on clearer policy direction and faster, simpler medical visa processes, along with well-defined cross-border care pathways and patient facilitation standards that reduce uncertainty for families planning treatment," Chandna added.
Echoing the same sentiment, Sonam Garg Sharma, Founder, Medical Linkers, noted that India has a unique opportunity to transform its medical tourism sector by leveraging policy reforms around visas, accreditation, travel facilitation, and insurance portability.
"Strengthening the broader medical tourism ecosystem, including facilitation partners and end-to-end patient journey coordination, will be key to making India’s offering more consistent and globally competitive," Sharma added, highlighting that the government should continue its fund allocation for investment in hospital infrastructure, skill development, and patient-centric digital services in the upcoming budget.
At the same time, offering an outlook on the government's likely focus and strategy, Dr Sabine Kapasi, Founder of ROPAN Healthcare Private Limited and UN advisor, said that the Budget for FY2026-27 is likely to focus on improving healthcare by building new hospitals and medical colleges in Tier I and Tier II cities.
"A proposed 'PLI 2.0' could be a big change in strategy, moving from supporting pharmaceuticals at the molecule level to boosting domestic production of medical devices and equipment, with incentives tied to research and development and new ideas," Kapasi demanded.
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At the same time, more support for integrating AYUSH into the mainstream healthcare system could help India become a popular place for medical tourism, he added.