Healthcare and pharmaceuticals emerge as strategic priorities under Budget 2026, with increased allocations for public health infrastructure, domestic drug manufacturing, and research-driven innovation. Policy support for medical devices, biotech startups, and digital health platforms signals a move toward self-reliance and global leadership. Key industry voices respond below.
Nilesh Maheshwari, Partner and Pharma, Bio Tech & Life Sciences Leader, Grant Thornton Bharat: The INR 10,000 crore outlay under Biopharma Shakti will significantly accelerate India’s transition towards innovation-driven pharmaceuticals by strengthening research infrastructure, advanced technology hubs, and clinical standards, enabling progress in biologics, vaccines, and next-generation therapies. It will enhance domestic capacity, lower the cost of life-saving biologics, and support broader healthcare affordability- critical as India faces a rising burden of non-communicable diseases.
Dr. Santosh Moses, Partner and Pharma, Bio Tech & Life Sciences Leader, Grant Thornton Bharat: Budget 2026’s proposal to accredit 1,000 Indian clinical trial sites is a timely and strategic move to strengthen India’s life sciences ecosystem. It signals an intent to position India as a global hub for ethical, high‑quality clinical research while accelerating patient access to innovative therapies. Standardised accreditation can improve trial quality, data integrity, and global sponsor confidence, while also creating skilled jobs across healthcare and research. To realise its full potential, this initiative must be supported by faster regulatory approvals, well‑trained investigators, robust ethics committees, and strong digital infrastructure. Done right, it can significantly enhance India’s competitiveness in clinical research and drive patient‑centric innovation.
Mr. V. Govindarajan, Founder and Managing Director, Aarthi Scans & Labs: We congratulate the Government on the Union Budget 2026–27 for its clear, investment-led focus on strengthening healthcare capacity. It is reassuring to see diagnostics acknowledged as a critical pillar of preventive care and timely treatment.
The expansion of Allied Health Professional institutions and the addition of one lakh professionals across radiology and allied disciplines directly address the skilled manpower gap faced by diagnostic networks as they scale into tier-2 and tier-3 markets. The emphasis on training multiskilled caregivers and strengthening geriatric care will further support preventive testing, chronic disease monitoring and home-based diagnostics. The proposed Regional Medical Value Tourism hubs, integrating diagnostics with clinical care, research, education and AYUSH, also signal a strong push towards globally competitive healthcare ecosystems. Together, these measures give providers like Aarthi Scans & Labs the confidence to invest in advanced platforms, wider networks and deeper outreach.
Shweta Rai, Managing Director – India and Country Division Head – South Asia, Bayer Pharmaceuticals: The Union Budget 2026 positions healthcare and life sciences as a critical pillar of India’s long-term economic and social progress, aligned with the vision of Viksit Bharat. We welcome the government’s focus on the Biopharma Shakti initiative, with an outlay of ₹10,000 crore over the next five years, which will strengthen domestic biopharma manufacturing and research and development capabilities. The Budget’s emphasis on supportive R&D tax incentives will further encourage innovation in biologics and biosimilars while rationalisation of customs duties on APIs, raw material and medical devices will strengthen domestic value chains.
In parallel, patient-focused measures addressing India’s growing non-communicable disease burden, including the exemption of Basic Customs Duty on 17 drugs and medicines and the addition of seven rare diseases under import duty exemption for personal medical use, will help improve access to critical therapies. We particularly appreciate the measures aimed at strengthening clinical research capabilities through a nationwide network of 1,000 accredited clinical trial sites, alongside efforts to enhance the capacity of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation to enable globally aligned regulatory standards and faster approval timelines.
These steps will support innovation, translate scientific advances into real-world clinical impact, improve patient access to high-quality therapies, and reinforce India’s transition from volume-based manufacturing to value-driven pharmaceutical leadership. We look forward to continued collaboration with the government to advance healthcare innovation and long-term health outcomes for patients in India and health for all.
Rajwinder Mehdwan, Managing Director & CEO – Roche Pharma India & Neighbouring Markets: Union Budget 2026 places healthcare at the centre of India’s economic progress under the Viksit Bharat vision. The focus on non-communicable diseases such as cancer and mental health rightly acknowledges their growing impact on India’s health outcomes and the need for innovative, outcome-driven care.
We welcome the emphasis on Biopharma Shakti with the proposed outlay of INR10,000 cr over 5 years and the strengthening of CDSCO to global standards, recognising that biopharma innovation, manufacturing, research and regulatory standards must advance in parallel. This integrated approach is timely and critical to bringing innovative medicines to patients with quality and speed.
The expansion of NIPER capacity and the creation of a nationwide network of 1000 accredited clinical trial sites further reinforce India’s potential as a global biopharma and research hub, while enabling broader and more inclusive participation in high-quality clinical research.
In parallel, investments in allied health services and workforce development will lead to decentralising care delivery, strengthening last-mile access and improving patient outcomes. The focus on cancer and rare diseases through duty exemptions will help ease the burden on patients and improve access to innovative therapies.
Together, these measures support India’s transition toward a value-led healthcare system that will accelerate access to the best care for all its citizens, and boost its global competitiveness, in alignment with the vision of Viksit Bharat
Mr.Srikanth Kandikonda, Chief Financial Officer, ManipalCigna Health Insurance: The Union Budget 2026 reflects the government’s continued focus on strengthening India’s healthcare ecosystem.
Key announcements such as the ₹10,000-crore BioPharma Shakti initiative, strengthening of the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation through faster scientific approvals, exemptions on select cancer and rare disease drugs, and continued investments in medical education, rural healthcare, hospital capacity, and digital health platforms are positive steps towards improving access, quality, and affordability of care. The expansion of allied health professionals, creation of advanced mental health institutions including NIMHANS 2.0, and support for traditional systems of medicine through upgraded AYUSH infrastructure further strengthen the overall healthcare delivery ecosystem.
From an industry standpoint, the Budget provides an enabling environment for health insurers to enhance affordability, encourage wider adoption of health insurance, and support the broader goal of healthcare security for all.
Dr GSK Velu, Chairman & Managing Director, Trivitron Healthcare, Maxivision Eye Hospitals & Neuberg Diagnostics: Budget 2026 positions India to accelerate its transition from volume-driven production to value-driven global leadership across pharmaceuticals, biopharma, and medical devices, with Biopharma Shakti as its anchor and a renewed focus on regulatory and manufacturing reforms that assure reduced compliances.
The ₹10,000 crore commitment to strengthening the biopharma, biotech, and life sciences ecosystem, alongside support for the drug regulatory framework and biopharma R&D, creates a strong foundation for raising quality benchmarks and aligning Indian innovation with global standards. This integrated approach will help move ideas from the laboratory to the bedside more efficiently, while encouraging closer collaboration between industry, academia, and care providers.
At the same time, the planned expansion of the allied healthcare workforce and the enhancement of district hospital capacity point to a broader effort to strengthen healthcare delivery on the ground. Skilled professionals in optometry, diagnostics, and geriatric care, supported by improved emergency, diagnostic, and rehabilitation infrastructure, will be essential in meeting the growing demand for specialised, technology-enabled services across both urban and emerging regional centres.
Mr. G Srinivasan, MD and CEO, Galaxy Health Insurance: The proposed expansion of allied health professionals across diagnostics, rehabilitation, mental and peri-operative care, through the upgradation of institutions and the addition of one lakh professionals over the next five years, strengthens healthcare capacity and eases pressure on hospitals. Faster diagnosis, shorter lengths of stay and more efficient care delivery can help health insurers lower claim severity and improve cost predictability, while accelerating the shift from hospitalisation-only covers to OPD, allied-care and mental health–inclusive products.
