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The government has removed the customs duty on a range of life-saving drugs for cancer and rare diseases, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman said on Saturday, as the Union budget she presented also announced plans to open 200 cancer daycare centres.
Sitharaman told Parliament 36 life-saving drugs and medicines are proposed to be added to the list of medicines that are fully exempt from basic customs duty (BCD). Another six life-saving medicines are to be added to the list attracting concessional customs duty of 5%.
“To provide relief to patients, especially those suffering from cancer and rare disease, I propose 36 life saving drugs in fully exempted customs duties,” said Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman in her Budget 2025 speech.
Last year, FM Nirmala Sitharaman had exempted three additional cancer medications from customs duty while announcing Union Budget 2024. The development will help ease the financial burden on patients. Several other measures have also been announced for the welfare of patients suffering from critical illnesses like cancer and other rare diseases.
Cancer is an increasing health challenge in India, impacting lives across diverse socio-economic and geographies of the country. The burden of cancer in the country is on the rise, with an increasing number of cases reported each year.
According to the National Centre of Disease Control (NCDC), in 2022, the projected number of new cancer cases in India was 1,461,427, with a crude incidence rate of 100.4 per 100,000 individuals. Approximately one in nine people in India is expected to face a cancer diagnosis during their lifetime.
Similarly, around 70 million Indians are estimated to suffer from rare diseases in India as per ICMR.
Comments on the duty cut on the life saving medicines, Daara Patel, Secretary General at Indian Drugs Manufactures Association said it is a step in the right direction. “This will help us serve millions of lives and support our initiatives of being patient centric.”
In addition to exempting crucial life-saving drugs from customs duties, the finance minister has also announced to set up daycare cancer centres in all district hospitals over the next three years.
Sitharaman said the Centre will set up 200 day care centres in district hospitals in 2025-26.
“Setting up daycare cancer centres at the district level is a welcome step. These centres will provide facilities for cancer chemotherapy or immunotherapy and daycare operations for a variety of cancers,” said Dr Shyam Aggarwal, vice president of the Indian Society of Medical and Paediatric Oncology.
The projected cancer burden in India is expected to rise from 26.7 million DALYs (adjusted mortality to incidence) in 2021 to 29.8 million in 2025, with the highest burden in the north and north-east regions.
Mint reported on 18 January about the expected budget proposal.
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