New Delhi: Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman today proposed the setting up of Day Care Cancer Centres in all district hospitals in the next three years. To provide relief to those suffering from cancer and other rare and severe chronic diseases, she proposed adding 36 lifesaving drugs and medicines to the list fully exempted from Basic Customs Duty.
In her budget speech 2025-26, the Finance Minister said that 200 Day Care Cancer Centres will be established in district hospitals.
She also proposed to add six lifesaving medicines to the list attracting concessional customs duty of 5%.
“Full exemption and concessional duty will also respectively apply on the bulk drugs for manufacture of the above.
“Specified drugs and medicines under Patient Assistance Programmes run by pharmaceutical companies are fully exempt from BCD, provided the medicines are supplied free of cost to patients.”
“I propose to add 37 more medicines along with 13 new patient assistance programmes,” she said.