'Govt needs to make digital healthcare affordable'

By Amit Srivastava, Chief Catalyst, Nutrify Today

There is a need to create a department of nutraceuticals and dietary supplements along with HSN codes to have a systematic classification of goods. The government needs to provide aid of Rs 100 crore incubation fund. This will provide growth impetus to the sector.

Formulation of Production Linked Incentive Scheme is something that the sector is desperately looking out for in order to become more robust and contribute extensively towards the development of the country's economy. The utmost important part that the government can do to help the sector flourish is by creating a department for the Nutra sector under the ministry of health and family welfare.

By Darpan Saini, CEO, Phyt.health

Medical expenses have increased over the past two years with Covid taking centre stage. Many have lost jobs or have taken pay cuts, resulting in financial stress on families. To ease these problems, the government needs to make digital healthcare affordable.

A special focus on making health insurance affordable by reducing GST on premiums from 18% to 5% is a viable option. The government should make health insurance applicable for telehealth services such as doctor consultations or online physiotherapy to help patients recover from the comfort of their home. This is crucial for patients who can't visit a doctor due to Covid restrictions.

Moreover, the FM could also look to increase the limit of deduction under Section 80D from Rs 50,000 to 1 lakh -- this could help the common man combat the rising healthcare costs.