This year’s budget is going to be special as it will test the government’s fiscal prudence towards key sectors like health, in times when the economy is struggling to come out of the pandemic. Even in the best of times, the country’s healthcare expenditure towards healthcare has been dismal and expecting the government to apply a magic wand in distress is asking for too much. This coupled with additional spending required for covid vaccination will leave little freedom for the government to spend towards long-term healthcare improvements.