From 6,500 new beds to digital cards, how Telangana plans to spend record Rs 13,679 crore on healthcare

Hyderabad: From the expansion of hospital beds to the creation of digital health profiles for every citizen, Telangana State Budget has allocated over Rs 13,000 crores for the health sector.

Finance Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka outlined a transformative roadmap for the state’s healthcare sector during the budget session held at the Telangana State Legislative Assembly on Friday.

Record Rs 13,679 crore allocation

Announcing a record allocation of Rs 13,679 crore for the Medical and Health Department, the highest in the state’s history, the Minister detailed several new schemes aimed at providing universal and cashless health security.

Here are the key pointers and highlights from the Telangana Health Budget 2026-27:

1. Massive Bed Expansion: By the end of 2026, the government will add 6,582 new beds by completing the TIMS hospitals at Sanath Nagar, LB Nagar and Alwal, along with the expansion of NIMS in Hyderabad and the Multi Super-Speciality Hospital in Warangal.

2. Surpassing Global Standards: With the new additions, the state’s total tertiary care capacity will reach 44,029 beds, ensuring Telangana significantly exceeds the Indian Public Health Standard of one bed per 1,000 people.

3. Digital Health Cards: The government will prepare a Digital Health Profile for every citizen and distribute Digital Health Cards to enable early disease detection and a seamless, digitised medical history.

4. Cashless Scheme for Employees: A new cashless health security scheme will be launched through the Rajiv Aarogyasri Trust, benefiting 23.51 lakh government employees and pensioners.

5. Urban Nutrition Push: To tackle malnutrition among the urban poor, the government plans to establish 20,074 mobile Anganwadi centres within the current year.

6. Specialised Medical Units: Dedicated funding has been provided for specialised services, including cancer care, Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) clinics, geriatric care and palliative care.

7. Inclusive Healthcare: For the first time, specific provisions have been made to expand and improve healthcare services tailored for transgender persons.

8. Medical Education: The budget supports the establishment of several new medical, nursing and paramedical colleges to bolster the state’s healthcare workforce.