"The industry body FICCI welcomes the steps announced by the Finance Minister for augmenting public health infrastructure in the country. These are long-awaited reforms for addressing various challenges of the health sector that FICCI had been advocating for over past few years. However, all these announcements are only long-term steps that will help enhance the healthcare capacity of the country but do not provide any respite from the crisis owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. The industry was hopeful of a relief package for the health sector that has faced acute financial as well as physical stress over the past couple of months. While the government has been considerate towards agriculture, one of the key pillars for the economic growth of a country, but the health sector that is the epicentre of the ongoing crisis has been ignored."

Dr Alok Roy, Chair-FICCI Health Services Committee & Chairman, Medica Group of Hospitals, Kolkata