Budget 2022: 'Incentivise virtual healthcare, preventive check-ups'

NEW DELHI: The healthcare sector has been in focus all through the Covid pandemic, and is looking forward to some impetus from the

Union Budget

.


Amol Naikawadi, joint managing director, Indus Health Plus thinks the budget should have provisions to make prevention through early detection easier and affordable, and incentivize virtual healthcare. He is expecting a rise in investment, and measures to make healthcare more accessible.

"Healthcare services like telemedicine and home-based preventive health checkup will grow in the coming time. Now that everyone is well informed and aware, an approach to integrate technologies to make healthcare more accessible should be in the top priority for the sector," he said.

Naikawadi is batting for tax sops for spends on preventive healthcare.

"We recommend including a separate tax exemption element in 80D with a limit of Rs 30,000 per person annually for preventive health checkup including genetic testing for self and family."

He also argued for tax benefits to organizations and institutions on a per-employee basis for amount spent on preventive healthcare.

"A zero-rating GST on healthcare services is required to minimize costs for healthcare providers. As a result, the benefit will be passed on to the end consumers, lowering the overall cost of medical treatment" he further said.