Union Budget must focus more on healthcare: Kiran Majumdar Shaw

Bengaluru: Biocon chairman Kiran Majumdar Shaw said that she expects a greater spend in healthcare from the government in Union Budget 2018-19.

"I would like to see a greater spend in healthcare as here we have stagnated at below one percent GDP levels. For a country like India which is trying to aim to deliver universal healthcare we will need to treble this investment in healthcare," Shaw told ANI.

She also said that the country has affordable access to healthcare, but the need of the hour is a greater investment in this sector.

"India actually has everything going for it in terms of delivering universal healthcare, in terms of affordable access. What is really missing is investment and I think this is an opportunity for the government to provide this right to healthcare and also to encourage the youth to pursue science and technology and stem in general," the entrepreneur added.

Shaw also said that she would like to a see a boost in science and technology in the country as we have reached a status quo in the sector.

"Would like to see greater investment in science and technology. Today, department of science and technology shared disturbing data that we have reached a status quo when it comes to investment in science and technology that remains static at 0.69 percent of GDP," she concluded.