Improvements in India’s Public Health

India’s National Health Mission (NHM) has made substantial strides in improving public health outcomes over the past three years, focusing on expanding healthcare human resources, addressing critical health challenges, and strengthening the healthcare system’s response to emergencies like the COVID-19 pandemic. A press release on these endeavors was issued on January 22, 2025.

Key Achievements and Impacts

Significant Increase in Healthcare Workforce

The NHM has facilitated a dramatic expansion of the healthcare workforce.

FY 2021-22: 2.69 lakh additional healthcare workers engaged, plus 90,740 Community Health Officers (CHOs).
FY 2022-23: 4.21 lakh additional healthcare professionals engaged, including 1.29 lakh CHOs.
FY 2023-24: 5.23 lakh additional healthcare workers engaged, including 1.38 lakh CHOs.
This expansion has significantly improved healthcare delivery, particularly at the grassroots level.

Strengthened Pandemic Response

The NHM’s existing network of healthcare facilities and workers proved crucial in administering over 220 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses between January 2021 and March 2024. The India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Package (ECRP), implemented under NHM, further bolstered the healthcare system’s capacity to manage the pandemic.

Improved Key Health Indicators

India has witnessed impressive progress in key health indicators:

Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR): Decreased by 25% from 130 per lakh live births (2014-16) to 97 per lakh (2018-20), an 83% decline since 1990, surpassing the global decline of 45%.
Under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR): Decreased from 45 per 1,000 live births (2014) to 32 (2020), a 75% reduction since 1990, exceeding the global reduction of 60%.
Infant Mortality Rate (IMR): Decreased from 39 per 1,000 live births (2014) to 28 (2020).
Total Fertility Rate (TFR): Decreased from 2.3 (2015) to 2.0 (2020), as per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5).

These improvements suggest India is on track to achieve its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for maternal, child, and infant mortality ahead of the 2030 target.

Disease Control and Elimination

The NHM has played a key role in controlling and eliminating various diseases:

Tuberculosis (TB): Incidence reduced from 237 per 100,000 population (2015) to 195 (2023), with a corresponding decline in mortality from 28 to 22.
- Malaria cases and deaths have seen fluctuations, but overall, there have been efforts to improve surveillance and management.
Kala-azar: Elimination targets have been met, with 100% of endemic blocks achieving less than one case per 10,000 population by the end of 2023.
Measles-Rubella: The Measles-Rubella Elimination Campaign under Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) 5.0 achieved 97.98% coverage, vaccinating over 34.77 crore children.

Specialized Health Initiatives

Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan: Registered over 1,56,572 lakh Ni-kshay Mitra volunteers supporting over 9.40 lakh TB patients.
Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP): Provided over 62.35 lakh hemodialysis sessions in FY 2023-24, benefiting over 4.53 lakh patients.
National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Mission: Screened over 2.61 crore individuals in tribal areas, aiming for elimination by 2047.

Digital Health Advancements: The U-WIN platform, launched in January 2023, ensures timely vaccination for pregnant women and children, expanding to 65 districts across 36 States/UTs by the end of FY 2023-24.
Infrastructure Strengthening: 7,998 public health facilities certified under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) by March 2024, with over 4,200 receiving national certification. The number of operational Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM) centers reached 1,72,148 by the end of FY 2023-24, with 1,34,650 offering 12 key healthcare services.
Improved Emergency Services: 12,348 PHCs converted to 24×7 services and 3,133 FRUs operational by March 2024. 1,424 Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) are now operational, with improved monitoring through the MMU Portal launched in 2023.
Addressing Public Health Concerns: NHM has contributed to a 17.3% reduction in tobacco use over the past decade through awareness campaigns and enforcement. The National Action Plan for Snakebite Envenoming (NAPSE) was launched in FY 2022-23 focusing on prevention, education, and management.

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