Budget 2026: Doctors and experts push for tax-funded universal healthcare, stronger govt hospitals, wider PMJAY cover
Health experts have urged the Centre to move towards tax-funded universal healthcare and increase funding for government hospitals ahead of Union Budget 2026. They also called for expanding PMJAY to cover outpatient care and for better resourcing of public health institutions.
With Union Budget 2026 approaching, health experts and doctors’ representatives are urging the government to increase public health spending and consider a tax-funded universal healthcare model that ensures a basic package of services for all citizens.
In a report published on 27 January 2026, NDTV said experts highlighted persistent funding gaps in public healthcare institutions and argued that government hospitals need stronger budgets, better staffing and improved infrastructure to handle patient loads and rising disease burdens.
Among the key proposals is a push to strengthen resources at government facilities—particularly in areas where capacity constraints translate into long queues, delayed procedures and uneven access to quality diagnostics. The argument is that improving the public system reduces catastrophic out-of-pocket spending and improves health outcomes over time.
Experts also called for reforms to the PM Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), including expanding the scheme beyond hospitalisation. They said outpatient care (OPD) is a large part of household health expenditure and that coverage focused mainly on inpatient episodes can leave families exposed to routine but frequent medical costs.
Another theme raised in the discussion is the need for realistic package rates and smoother reimbursements in government-funded schemes, which providers say would improve service continuity and reduce friction for hospitals participating in public programmes.
The experts’ recommendations also included strengthening human resources—more doctors, nurses and allied staff—as well as investing in systems that improve quality, patient safety and reliability at high-footfall public hospitals.
As Budget proposals are finalised, the sector is positioning healthcare spending not as discretionary welfare but as essential national infrastructure. The core message is that expanding coverage, funding and capacity together is necessary for a credible move towards universal health protection in India.