Gandhinagar, Feb 2 (IANS): Gujarat Finance Minister Kanubhai Desai on Friday revealed a comprehensive healthcare budget in his speech to improve healthcare services in the state.

Some of the key highlights include allocating funds for constructing two new 300-bedded hospitals in Kamrej, Surat, and Bavla, Ahmedabad while aiming to enhance district-level healthcare infrastructure.

The total budget for the Health and Family Welfare Department stands at Rs 20,100 crore, marking a 32.40 per cent increase from the previous year's allocation.

Adding to the healthcare advancements, the minister announced a budget of Rs 40 crore to establish a Cardiac Treatment Centre in collaboration with the UN Mehta Institute.

This initiative is set to offer specialized cardiac care in major cities, including Gandhinagar, Rajkot, and Surat.

In alignment with the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the Health Department is set to implement substantial measures to provide up to Rs 10 lakh in cashless health coverage, benefiting individuals from middle and lower-income groups.

An impressive sum of Rs 3,100 crore has been earmarked for this purpose, catering to 2,531 enrolled hospitals nationwide.

The government also plans to will further strengthen the Gujarat Cancer and Research Institute in Ahmedabad.

The government has also approved a substantial investment of Rs 600 crore to develop a cyclotron project for nuclear medicine and a state-of-the-art proton beam therapy center.

The government has set aside Rs 100 crore to modernise medical facilities to procure new medical equipment for government medical colleges and associated hospitals, the M&J Institute of Ophthalmology, and the Spine Institute in Ahmedabad.

Moreover, the health infrastructure is set to be strengthened by introducing 319 new ambulances under the 108 services and a Rs 10 crore provision to expand the Government Spine Institute and Paraplegia Hospital in Asarwa.