According to the Union Budget 2025–26, how many new day-care cancer centers will be established in district hospitals?

Correct option is B

The correct answer is (b) 200

Explanation:

• In the Union Budget 2025–26, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced that the government will facilitate the setting up of Day Care Cancer Centres (DCCCs) in all district hospitals.• For the financial year 2025–26, a specific target of establishing 200 such centers has been set.• These centers aim to provide chemotherapy and other essential cancer care services closer to the patients' homes, reducing the need for travel to tertiary care hospitals.• The initiative is part of a broader plan to cover all district hospitals in the country over the next three years.• The goal is to make cancer treatment more accessible and affordable, particularly for the rural population and economically weaker sections.

Information Booster:• The budget also proposed the full exemption of Basic Customs Duty (BCD) on 36 life-saving drugs used for treating cancer and other rare diseases to lower treatment costs.• These Day Care Cancer Centres are typically designed as 10-bed units (or 4–6 beds in some models) within existing district hospital premises to optimize resource utilization.

Additional Knowledge:(a) 175 (Option a)• This number is often associated with the cumulative number of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (1.75 lakh) mentioned in various health ministry progress reports, but it is not the target for new cancer centers in the 2025-26 budget.

(c) 100 (Option c)• While 100 might represent a phased milestone in some health schemes, it was not the specific figure announced for new daycare cancer centers for the immediate fiscal year in the budget speech.

(d) 150 (Option d)• This is an incorrect figure in the context of the 2025–26 budget announcement; the specific commitment made by the Finance Minister was for 200 centers in the first year of the rollout.