Every district in the country will have day-care cancer centers within the next three years, with 200 districts set to be covered this year itself, Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda said.
Inaugurating the 9th National Summit on Good & Replicable Practices and Innovation in the Public Healthcare System here, Nadda praised the National Health Mission (NHM) for its ongoing Intensified Special Non-Communicable Disease (NCD) Screening Drive, which offers free screening for Diabetes, Hypertension, and three types of cancer—Oral, Breast, and Cervical.
He also highlighted a recent Lancet study, which found that patients enrolled under Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) saw a 90 percent increase in access to cancer treatment within 30 days, reducing delays and easing the financial burden on cancer patients.
The National Health Policy 2017, Nadda stated, has brought about a paradigm shift from a solely curative healthcare approach to one that integrates curative, preventive, promotive, and comprehensive aspects.
The two-day summit will showcase and document various best practices and innovations adopted by states and union territories to address public health challenges. It will also provide an opportunity for knowledge sharing and cross-learning among states and UTs.
The Union Minister emphasized that India has made significant strides in healthcare since 2014. The government has also given considerable impetus to tertiary healthcare, in addition to improving primary and secondary healthcare.
Nadda reaffirmed the Union Government’s commitment to ensuring quality and affordable healthcare services for all citizens. He noted that the work done under Ayushman Arogya Mandir, as part of the National Health Mission (NHM), has strengthened the foundation of primary healthcare within the overall healthcare system.
The Union Minister further stated, “The decline in India’s Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) is double that of the global decline, highlighting the efforts taken to strengthen the healthcare system at the grassroots level.”
He also noted that Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Under-5 Mortality Rate have witnessed a significant decline, and he commended Odisha for its noteworthy progress in reducing IMR and MMR.
Nadda highlighted that the WHO’s World Malaria Report 2024 acknowledges India’s significant reduction in malaria cases.
Quoting the WHO Global TB Report 2024, he stated that India has recorded a 17.7percent decline in TB incidence from 2015 to 2023, which is more than twice the global average decline of 8.3 percent
He further noted that despite the COVID-19 setback, India has not deviated from its TB eradication target. The ongoing 100-Day TB Elimination Campaign, spanning 455 districts across 33 states, has already detected 5 lakh TB patients.
Acknowledging the importance of Jan Bhagidari (public participation) for the success of any health initiative, the Union Health Minister credited ASHA workers, SHOs, and other grassroots health workers for their contributions to the healthcare sector.
He also emphasized the need to empower Panchayati Raj Institutions to further strengthen India’s healthcare infrastructure.
Addressing the rising threat of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), Nadda stressed the need for lifestyle changes to combat these conditions effectively.
On this occasion, Nadda released, a Coffee Table Book on the 9th National Summit on Best Practices, the 16th Common Review Mission Report, Reports from the Four Regional Conferences of NHM (2024-25), and the Non-Communicable Diseases Conference Report (Jan 2025)
