India is planning to screen a “100 per cent eligible population” aged over 30 years for diabetes and hypertension by the end of March 2025. The Union Health Ministry has scheduled various deadlines to guarantee the prompt implementation of healthcare initiatives. The ministry has asked states and UTs to devise additional strategies to guarantee the timely execution of these action points.
One of the deadlines for these initiatives is “screening of 100% eligible population (30+) for diabetes and hypertension” considering the increasing incidents of non-communicable diseases in India.
Another important deadline is the push from the Centre to focus on the elimination of tuberculosis and sickle cell anaemia. India aims to eliminate TB by 2025 – five years ahead of the global deadline and sickle cell anaemia by 2047.
Also, the Centre has asked states, and UTs to “focus on new research within India and globally” giving the deadline of October this year.
The list also includes completing the issuance of 20 crore pending Ayushman cards, establishing an effective drug delivery supply chain management system at the primary healthcare level, and launching the digital vaccination record-keeping platform, U Win portal by the end of this year.
Push by Centre
In a letter to the states and union territories, Health Secretary Apurva Chandra shared an action plan for 17 healthcare services with the deadlines. He wrote that these “action points” were designed through “collaborative efforts of the Centre and states to ensure ease of living of citizens.”
“Now the final action point pertaining to Health and Wellness have been shared by NITI Aayog, which includes a few additional action points as per the guidance of Hon’ble Prime Minister during the conference,” Chandra wrote while instructing states, UTs “to develop a further course of action to ensure the timely implementation of these action points.”
Upgrading Healthcare Facilities
The Health Ministry plans to enhance public and community health centres by deploying Ayush professionals by March 31, 2025.
The letter mentions “Strengthening of co-location of Ayush professionals at PHCs and above” which aims to curb the shortage of doctors and healthcare professionals in rural or remote areas.
Also, India aims to upgrade public hospitals and healthcare facilities to National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification. The plan is to upgrade to NQAS “for at least 50 per cent of public health facilities by December 2025 and 100 per cent compliance by 2026.”
The NQAS program, initiated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, aims to acknowledge well-performing facilities and enhance the credibility of public hospitals within the community.
Big Focus on Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission
The action plan includes multiple deadlines for the adoption of PM Modi’s flagship Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) which aims to digitise the healthcare eco-system of India.
According to the letter, India plans to make the “scan and share” facility available in all central government institutes, medical college hospitals and in district hospitals by March 31, 2025. Under the scan and share model, patients need not stand in queues for registration or pharmacy, diagnostic purposes. Rather they can scan the QR codes on the facilities and make bookings along with creating their health IDs called ABHA.
By the end of October this year, the states and UTs have been asked to follow up on the ABHA cards given to citizens using artificial intelligence.
The ministry has also stipulated a deadline of December 31, 2025 for the registration of health professionals and health facilities on ABDM registries. It has given the deadline of completing half of the registrations by the end of this year and full by the end of next year.
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