Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah announced a Rs 320 crore programme to reduce preventable maternal mortality in the state during the 2025-26 budget. This initiative will include distributing nutrition kits, vatsalya kits, and financial incentives for pregnant women to prevent anaemia. Hospitals will be equipped with advanced technology to treat and prevent postpartum haemorrhage, and Maternal and Child Health (MCH) specialists will be deployed in taluka hospitals. All maternal mortality cases will be audited by the State Technical Expert Committee to formulate targeted interventions. The initiative comes in the wake of nine maternal deaths that occurred in Ballari district in November and December of 2024 and in January 2025.
The honorarium for ASHA workers will be increased by Rs 1,000 through team-based incentives. To improve healthcare in the Kalyana Karnataka region, the Kalyana Karnataka Comprehensive Health Scheme has been allocated Rs 873 crore. A pilot program for diagnosing rare metabolic disorders in prenatal and infant stages will be implemented in Kalyana Karnataka and mining-affected areas at a cost of Rs 10 crore. Additionally, Rs 9 crore has been earmarked for HPV vaccination of 14-year-old girls in 20 taluks of these regions to prevent cervical cancer.
The government also announced its decision to open a medical college in Kolar under Public-Private-Partnership model in Kolar. Medical Education Minister Sharan Prakash Patil had earlier said that the government wanted to open such colleges in districts where there were no government medical colleges, as it was too expensive to open colleges in every district. As of now, the government has identified eleven districts, including Kolar, where there are no government-run medical colleges. It is unclear what the seat-sharing ratio or fee structure would be in these colleges.
The budget also announced a constituent medical college of Rajiv Gandhi University of Health Sciences in Bagalkot.
A cancer diagnosis unit will be established at Bidar Government Medical College Hospital. Institutes modelled on NIMHANS will be set up at Mysuru and Kalaburagi Medical Colleges, each costing Rs 100 crore. A super-speciality hospital will be built under Koppal Institute of Medical Sciences for Rs 100 crore. A Kidwai Peripheral Cancer Treatment Unit will be established at Rajiv Gandhi Super Speciality Hospital in Raichur for Rs 50 crore.
Other initiatives for health include:
A new medical college will be established in Puttur by upgrading the existing 100-bed taluk hospital.
Under the Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust, cashless treatment up to Rs 5 lakh will be provided to over three lakh government employees and their dependents, with a monthly contribution of Rs 100 from employees and Rs 200 from the government.
The 'Gruha Aarogya Scheme,' initially piloted in Kolar district in 2024-25, will be expanded statewide at a cost of Rs 100 crore to screen and treat six non-communicable diseases.
Under the 'Shravana Sanjeevini Programme,' Rs 12 crore has been allocated for cochlear implant surgeries and maintenance of implants for children with hearing impairments.
To ensure the availability of quality medicines in public health institutions, the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (KSMSCL) will be strengthened. A software system will be introduced for the monitoring and maintenance of medical equipment.
A new 200-bed hospital will be constructed in Bengaluru North taluk at a cost of Rs 150 crore.
Renovation work, costing Rs 650 crore, will be carried out in taluka hospitals in Maluru, Magadi, Kushalanagar, Koratagere, Jagaluru, Savanuru, Ramadurga, and Savadatti, along with district hospitals in Davangere and Wenlock Hospital in Mangaluru.