Healthcare emerges as a key priority area

In a standout feature of the fourth budget presented under the incumbent BJP govt, Chhattisgarh finance minister Om Prakash Choudhary announced a major fiscal push for public health, earmarking over Rs 3,500 crore for insurance schemes and the development of medical infrastructure. Under the Shahid Veer Narayan Singh Ayushman Bharat scheme, The state allocated Rs 1,500 crore, while an additional Rs 2,000 crore was set aside for the National Health Mission. Also, in a first for the state, the govt proposed a state-run homoeopathy college in Raipur. The budget also proposed allocations for new district hospital buildings in Ambikapur, Dhamtari and Chirmiri, along with a 200-bed Maternal and Child Health unit at Kalibadi in Raipur.The budget further outlined a plan to expand medical education by way of opening new medical colleges in former Maoist stronghold Dantewada, Manendragarh, Kabirdham, Janjgir-Champa and Kunkuri, besides nursing colleges in Kanker, Korba, Manendragarh, Sariya and Mahasamund.Specialised institutions such as a state-run cancer institute in Bilaspur, an advanced cardiac institute in Raipur, a physiotherapy college in Rajnandgaon, and GNM training centres will be opened to bolster the state's tertiary care and training capacity. The budget also prioritises rural healthcare and access to topline medical services, with over 25 new PHC, SHC and CHC buildings, 25 dialysis centres, and 50 Jan Aushadhi Kendras, alongside Rs 25 crore for expanding infrastructure at Sri Sathya Sai Sanjeevani Hospital.