New Delhi, Mar 19 (PTI) Healthcare in India under Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led NDA government has become a global standard and it has strengthened the healthcare system globally, BJP's Rajya Sabha member Bhubaneswar Kalita said on Wednesday.

Participating in the discussion on the working of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Kalita said not only has the NDA government increased budget allocation on healthcare multi-fold as compared to the UPA regime, but it has also sought to address the key issues in the sector by enhancing MBBS seats, increasing hospitals and opening new medical colleges even at the district level.

"The country has seen a new dimension in healthcare and tremendous improvement. There is no comparison now. Healthcare in India has become a global standard and it has strengthened the healthcare system globally. That's why you see patients from different countries coming to India for their treatment...," he asserted.

India has been able to provide affordable treatment and surgeries to international patients, Kalita added.

Stressing how the government has focussed on healthcare, he said there has been a 167.5 per cent increase in the budget allocation in 2025-26 at Rs 99,858.56 crore as compared to Rs 37,330 crore in 2013-14 during the UPA reign.

Noting that the government has also worked on enhancing the key requirements of providing a good healthcare system, Kalita said several steps have been undertaken to increase the number of hospitals, doctors, nurses and paramedics in the country.

Kalita said under the NDA government, the number of medical colleges has increased to 780 in 2025 as compared to 387 in 2014 under UPA. Besides, the number of AIIMS has also risen from only seven in 2014 to 23 in 2025.

"When you talk about AIIMS, we used to know only Delhi AIIMS but now it has expanded all over the country," he added.

He further said the number of MBBS seats has also increased to 1,18,137 in 2025 under NDA as compared to 51,348 in 2014 under the UPA government, while the post-graduation seats have increased to 73,157 now from 31,185 in 2014.

In the next 5 years 75,000 more seats will be created to meet the requirement of doctors in this country, he said, adding it is a very hopeful situation that not only has it made a place globally but it will be a tremendous success in this country.

Kalita also listed out schemes like Ayushman Bharat and Jan Aushadhi that have helped in making healthcare affordable in the country.

Participating in the discussion, Sanjay Kumar Jha JD(U) also lauded the government's efforts to strengthen healthcare in India and said after increasing the number of MBBS and PG seats, Indian students can now study medicine within the country, recollecting how many of them had to return from Ukraine when war broke out there.

Mamata Mohanta (BJP) pointed out that schemes like Ayushman Bharat have helped the poor in getting treatments for the smallest to the gravest disease like cancer.

Similarly, Upendra Kushwaha (RLM) also praised the government for making healthcare affordable to the poor while pointing out the big gaps that exist between the requirement of patients with serious diseases and the facilities available in Bihar and requested setting up of another AIIMS in the southern part of the state.

Jha also asked the government to consider setting up a regulatory body to regulate private hospitals, whom he accused of "looting patients" in the name of treatment.

Former prime minister HD Devegowda JD(S) drew the attention of the government to intensify efforts to tackle heart attack and brain stroke and said there is an alarming rise in the number of deaths of young and middle-aged Indians due to heart attacks.

He also suggested providing incentives, such as additional weightage at the time of PG selection depending on the number of years of service in rural areas, in order to encourage MBBS doctors to serve in rural areas.

Participating in the discussion, Sadanand Mhalu Shet Tanavade (BJP) said the government has made critical healthcare medicine more affordable by exempting customs duty on 36 life-saving drugs. PTI RKL DR