As India prepares for the Union Budget 2026–27, Sanjaya Mariwala, Executive Chairman and Managing Director of OmniActive Health Technologies Ltd, has urged the government to pivot the Budget’s healthcare focus from fresh announcements to measurable preventive healthcare outcomes.
Highlighting the operationalisation of over 1.7 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Mariwala noted that while intent is clear, outcomes remain uneven due to gaps in diagnostics and continuity of care. With lifestyle and age-related diseases forming the largest share of India’s disease burden, he emphasised that public health spending still falls short of the targeted 2.5% of GDP.
Mariwala stressed the need for a formal performance review of existing healthcare programmes, recommending that the Budget include a report tracking allocations, actual disbursements, and preventive health outcomes.
He also welcomed the inclusion of the nutraceutical industry under the Production Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, calling it a crucial step for boosting domestic manufacturing. However, he underlined that for the scheme to deliver real impact, the Budget must introduce a robust regulatory framework and strengthen clinical validation aligned with preventive healthcare goals.
According to Mariwala, prevention cannot rely on supply alone. He advocated linking future PLI support to independent clinical validation and real-world evidence, backed by a dedicated evidence fund, to ensure only science-backed, quality-assured nutraceuticals contribute to India’s preventive healthcare ecosystem.