Delhi budget 2026: Big boost for health; critical, child care in focus

NEW DELHI: Govt has allocated Rs 13,035 crore to the health sector — a marginal 1% hike over the budgetary outlay in 2025-26 — placing a strong emphasis on completion of medical infrastructure, expansion of critical care facilities and boosting primary healthcare access.Framing the budget in a political context, CM Rekha Gupta highlighted alleged irregularities in past healthcare projects, “corruption” in procurements of medicines and devices and “poor facilities” under the erstwhile AAP govt, even as she took aim at the party, now in opposition, noting their absence from the assembly during the budget session.On the policy front, govt announced an expanded insurance coverage, a new neonatal screening scheme, more medical colleges and tech-driven healthcare systems in Delhi.A key highlight is the launch of the ANMOL (Advanced Newborn Monitoring and Optimal Lifecare) scheme, which will provide 56 free diagnostic tests for newborns to detect genetic and congenital disorders. “There are several conditions... where medical intervention becomes difficult if not diagnosed early. The scheme covers babies born in both govt and private hospitals,” the CM said.Govt has also expanded insurance coverage under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, extending its benefits to ration card holders, ASHA and Anganwadi workers, widows, persons with disabilities and the transgender community. The move, which is expected to cover nearly 7.5 lakh beneficiaries, has an allocation of Rs 202 crore.A major thrust has been placed on fast-tracking long-pending hospital projects. Govt has kept Rs 515 crore for accelerating the construction and upgradation of facilities in Madipur, Siraspur, Hastsal and Jwalapuri, alongside expansions at Rao Tula Ram Memorial, Baba Saheb Ambedkar and Lal Bahadur Shastri hospitals. Pending work at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital and Satyawadi Raja Harishchandra Hospital is also slated for completion. In parallel, Rs 150 crore has been earmarked to operationalise seven ICU hospitals, thus boosting Delhi’s critical care capacity.To strengthen service delivery, Rs 787 crore will be spent on drugs, diagnostics and medical equipment through centralised procurement, aiming to streamline supply and reduce shortages.At the primary care level, over 750 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs will be set up for a combined Centre-State funding of Rs 1,500 crore, alongside 11 integrated public health laboratories and nine critical care blocks. A Rs 200-crore trauma centre is planned at Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital.The budget proposes to increase MBBS seats from 595 to 820 and postgraduate seats from 553 to 762. Additionally, Rs 50 crore has been allocated for a new medical college at Indira Gandhi Hospital, Dwarka. A similar amount is set to be spent on two new hostel buildings at MAMC campus.In a push towards digital healthcare and to improve emergency response and reduce delays in patient care, govt will roll out a real-time bed and ventilator tracking system, along with a digital blood bank and donor registry.Health minister Pankaj Kumar Singh described the outlay as a “decisive step towards building a robust, inclusive and affordable healthcare system.”Dr K K Talwar, ex-chairman of Medical Council of India, said, “The increase in health budget to strengthen infrastructure in various hospitals and increase UG and PG seats in public sector hospitals is credible. However, there should be proper monitoring to ensure quality care in public sector hospitals.”