In the past 12 years, the Government has significantly strengthened India’s health system. It has insured over 44 crore families and operationalised over 1.86 lakh primary care centres. Generic medicines are now available at rates 50–90% below market price through over 18,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras. Over 47 crore telemedicine consultations have been delivered. Medical colleges in India have more than doubled. Twelve new AIIMS are functional since 2014. Maternal and child mortality rates have dropped significantly. TB incidence has fallen and malaria mortality is down 78%.
Ayushman Bharat: Universal Health Coverage for Every Citizen
Ayushman Bharat provides affordable, quality healthcare to people from all walks of life. It rests on four key pillars.
Pillar 1: AB-PMJAY
Launched in 2018, AB-PMJAY provides free public health insurance up to ₹5 lakh per family per year to socio-economically deprived families (about 40% of the population). In October 2024, the scheme was extended to all senior citizens above 70 years through Ayushman Bharat Vay Vandana.
– 44.14 crore Ayushman Cards created
– 12.03 crore hospitalisations covered
– Treatment worth ₹1,80,435 crore provided
– 36,218 hospitals empanelled
– 1.20 crore senior citizens enrolled under Vay Vandana
Pillar 2: Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAM)
AAMs provide primary healthcare at every neighbourhood, offering 12 free services including maternal and child healthcare, NCD screening, mental health support, teleconsultations, and free essential medicines.
– 1.86+ lakh AAMs functional
– Cumulative footfall of over 540 crores
Pillar 3: PM-ABHIM
Launched on October 25, 2021, with a total financial outlay of ₹64,180 crores (2021–22 to 2025–26), PM-ABHIM builds pandemic preparedness infrastructure including:
– Support for 23,224 rural health and wellness centres in 10 high-focus states
– 13,736 urban health and wellness centres
– 3,389 block public health units
– 744 integrated public health labs
– 631 critical care hospital blocks
Pillar 4: Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)
Launched in September 2021, ABDM builds a citizen-centric digital health infrastructure. At its heart is the Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) – a unique 14-digit health identity number.
– 20.49 crore ABHA registrations
– 27,328 facilities connected across 36 states and UTs
National Health Mission: Targeting Diseases and Ailments
Maternal and Child Healthcare
– PMSMA: Over 7.47 crore pregnant women examined; 22,349 facilities providing services
– JSY: Encourages facility-based deliveries among poor pregnant women
– JSSK: Free delivery, drugs, diagnostics, diet, and transport at public facilities
These programmes have significantly reduced maternal mortality rates.
Mission Indradhanush
Launched in 2014 as a catch-up programme for communities with low vaccination rates:
– 5.46 crore children and 1.32 crore pregnant women vaccinated
– Zero-dose children fell from 0.11% in 2023 to 0.06% in 2024
– India eliminated maternal and neonatal tetanus (WHO certified in May 2015)
U-WIN Platform
Launched in 2024 for pan-India rollout:
– 11.87 crore children and 3.96 crore pregnant women registered (as of March 2026)
Eliminating Communicable Diseases
Tuberculosis
India has reduced TB incidence through the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP). TB cases and fatalities have declined faster than the global rate.
– Over 3.78 lakh Nik-shay Mitras supported over 20 lakh patients with over 45 lakh food baskets
– Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan: Over 20 crore individuals screened; more than 28 lakh patients diagnosed since December 2024
Malaria
– National Framework for Malaria Elimination (2016) provides roadmap for eliminating malaria by 2027
– Malaria cases and deaths have dropped significantly since 2017
Other Communicable Diseases
– HIV-AIDS: Mother-to-child transmission declined by about 74.5% between 2010 and 2024
– Kala-Azar: 633 endemic blocks show less than one case per 10,000 population
– Japanese Encephalitis: Case Fatality Rate reduced from 17.6% (2014) to 7.1% (2024)
– Dengue: Case Fatality Rate reduced to 0.13% in 2024
– Leprosy: Districts achieving elimination increased from 542 (2014-15) to 638 (2024-25)
COVID-19 and Pandemic Response
India’s pandemic response was among the most proactive:
– Testing labs grew from 14 to 3,400
– ICU beds increased from 2,168 to 1.45 lakh
– Oxygen-supported beds went up from 50,583 to 5.15 lakh
– Domestic PPE manufacturing scaled from zero to more than 5 lakh kits per day
– Under Vaccine Maitri, India supplied about 300 million doses to nearly 100 countries
Non-Communicable Diseases
Screening at AAMs
– Over 60 crore screenings for oral, breast and cervical cancers
– 35.3 crore screened for oral cancer; 2.3 lakh detected
– 16.5 crore screened for breast cancer
– 8.73 crore screened for cervical cancer; 1.1 lakh diagnosed
– 41.5 crore screened for hypertension; 7.1 crore diagnosed
– 41.3 crore screened for diabetes; 4.7 crore found diabetic
Cancer Care
– 19 State Cancer Institutes and 20 Tertiary Cancer Care centres established
– Cancer treatment facilities approved in all 22 new AIIMS
– National cancer surveillance expanded through over 600 cancer registry sites
Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP)
Rolled out in 2016, providing free dialysis treatment to the poor:
– 31.74 lakh patients received treatment
– Over 4 crore haemodialysis sessions across 1,816 centres
– Saved patients an estimated ₹10,102.25 crore in out-of-pocket expenses
Prevention: Reducing NCD Risk Factors
Eat Right India (launched July 2018): 182 Clean Street Food Hubs, 546 Fruits and Vegetables Markets, 411 railway stations certified
Fit India Movement (launched 2019): Fit India Sundays on Cycle campaign engaged over 30 lakh citizens across over 2.8 lakh locations
Tobacco Control
– 17.3% reduction in overall tobacco use over the past decade
– Tobacco use among school-going children declined from 14.6% (2009) to 8.5% (2019)
– Over 2,000 Tobacco Cessation Centres established
– National Tobacco QuitLine (1800-112-356) assisted over 6.5 lakh people
Affordable Medicines and Emergency Transport
– Jan Aushadhi Kendras: Over 18,000 Kendras supply generic medicines at 50-80% cheaper prices, saving families an estimated ₹40,000 crore
– AMRIT Pharmacies: Over 255 outlets, benefited over 6.85 crore patients, saved about ₹8,400 crore
– Free Essential Diagnostics Initiative (launched 2015): Prescribes free essential tests at every level of public health system
– Emergency ambulances: 3,044 Advanced Life Support, 15,283 Basic Life Support, 3,918 Patient Transport Vehicles, 19 boats, 81 bikes
Digital and Last-Mile Health Services
eSanjeevani (National Telemedicine Service): Launched November 2019
– Over 47 crore calls recorded
– More than 2.34 lakh healthcare providers onboarded
Tele-MANAS: Launched October 2022 for mental healthcare
– 53 Tele-Manas Cells and 23 Mentoring Institutes connected
Medical Education and Workforce
– Medical colleges more than doubled; 12 new AIIMS functional since 2014
– MBBS seats increased by 118%; PG seats by 127% (from pre-2014 levels)
– 157 new nursing colleges being established, adding ~15,700 nursing graduates annually
– B.Sc. Nursing seats up 53% to 1,27,290; M.Sc. Nursing seats up 39% to 14,986
Alternative Healthcare (AYUSH)
– Ministry of AYUSH formed in November 2014
– 942 AYUSH institutions opened (as of 2025)
– AYUSH care mainstreamed across 13,093 NHM co-located facilities
– AYUSH Visa introduced in July 2023 for foreign nationals seeking treatment
Towards Viksit Bharat 2047
Investments in medical infrastructure, primary healthcare, and medical education have strengthened India’s health sector. These efforts are advancing the country towards universal health coverage, fulfilling the government’s motto — Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas. India is moving steadily towards Viksit Bharat @ 2047 — a healthier, stronger, and more prosperous nation for every citizen.
Disclaimer: This is an abridged version of the original PIB article “India’s Health Transformation” (June 6, 2026). Key facts and data have been retained. For the complete article, please refer to the official PIB website.
