Gujarat Budget 2026-27: Specialty care moves closer to home with satellite centres

Ahmedabad: The Gujarat govt has earmarked substantial funds in the 2026–27 budget to expand specialty healthcare services through a network of satellite centres for kidney and heart diseases across Saurashtra, north and south Gujarat, aiming to decentralise advanced treatment and ease pressure on major tertiary hospitals.A provision of Rs 186 crore was made for the Institute of Kidney Diseases and Research Centre (IKDRC), Ahmedabad, along with satellite centres proposed at Surat, Sola-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar and Bhavnagar. The allocation is intended to strengthen uro-nephrology services closer to patients, reduce dependence on a single tertiary hub and improve access to diagnostics, dialysis-linked care and specialist consultations.
Similarly, Rs 167 crore has been allocated for the UN Mehta Institute of Cardiology and Research and its satellite centres at Surat, Sola-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Bhavnagar, Rajkot and Porbandar. The expansion is expected to facilitate earlier detection and treatment of heart disease, streamline referral pathways and ease the patient load at the main cardiac institute in Ahmedabad.In a move to bolster public health outreach, the budget also provides Rs 30 crore for supplying "Ready-to-Eat Nutritious Snacks" to tuberculosis (TB) patients to support their recovery and nutritional needs.Complementing the satellite-centre model, the govt has allocated Rs 500 crore for the construction of multi-specialty hospital infrastructure, including cancer, cardiac-neuro and uro-nephro super-specialty hospitals in Ahmedabad and Surat. These higher-capacity tertiary facilities are expected to enhance the state's ability to handle complex cases while improving regional access to advanced care.To strengthen primary healthcare access for construction workers, 50 new Arogya Raths will be added to the existing fleet of 154 Dhanvantari Arogya Raths. Additionally, Rs 90 crore has been earmarked for a new 1,000-bed hospital at PDU Hospital in Rajkot.The govt has also made a provision of Rs 502 crore for the Shrestha Gujarat Project, aimed at upgrading health infrastructure and tackling non-communicable diseases and other public health challenges across the state.