Puri, Feb 28: Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda today said India has made a significant stride in healthcare since 2014 as he inaugurated the 9th National Summit on Good & Replicable Practices and Innovation in the Public Healthcare System in Puri.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, Health Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling, and Puri MP Dr Sambit Patra were present on the occasion.
The 2-day summit will showcase and document various best practices and innovations adopted by States and UTs for addressing their public health challenges. It will also provide an opportunity for knowledge sharing and cross-learning among the States/UTs.
Addressing the session, he stated that the National Health Policy 2017 brought about a paradigm shift in approach from curative healthcare to one that encompasses curative as well as preventive, promotive and comprehensive aspects. Similarly, the Union Minister noted that the government has also given a lot of impetus to tertiary healthcare in addition to improving primary and secondary healthcare.
He noted that the Union Government’s focus is on ensuring quality and affordable healthcare services for the people. On this note, he stated that the work done on Ayushman Arogya Mandir under the National Health Mission has strengthened the foundation of primary healthcare in the overall healthcare pyramid.
Nadda stated, “The decline of Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in India is double that of the global decline which highlights the effort taken in strengthening the healthcare system from the grassroot level. The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Under 5 Mortality Rate has also seen a noteworthy downfall.”
He also credited Odisha for its appreciable strides in IMR and MMR.
The Union Health Minister highlighted that “the WHO’s World Malaria Report 2024 acknowledges India’s significant reduction in malaria cases. Similarly, India has witnessed a noteworthy 17.7% decline in TB incidence from 2015 to 2023, a rate that is over twice the global average decline of 8.3% according to the WHO Global TB Report 2024”.
He noted that despite the COVID-19 setback, India has not diluted its TB eradication target. He highlighted the ongoing 100-Day TB Elimination Campaign, spanning 455 districts across 33 states which has detected 5 lakh TB patients already.
Acknowledging the importance of Jan Bhagidari for the success of any campaign, the Union Health Minister credited the ASHA workers, SHOs and other grassroot level health workers for the achievements made in the healthcare sector. He stated that Panchayati Raj Institutions should be more empowered to further strengthen the healthcare base in India.
On the threat from Non-Communicable Diseases, Nadda emphasized on the need of bringing lifestyle changes. He praised NHM for its ongoing Intensified Special NCD Screening Drive which is offering free of cost screening of Diabetes, Hypertension and 3 types of Cancer - Oral, Breast and Cervical cancer.
He also highlighted a recent Lancet study which found that patients enrolled under AB PM-JAY saw a 90% rise in access to cancer treatment within 30 days, reducing delay in treatment and easing financial burden of cancer patients.
Nadda noted that every district in the country will have day care cancer centers in the next 3 years with 200 districts to be covered in this year itself. He also emphasized on tele-medicine to strengthen healthcare further.
On the occasion, the Union Health Minister and other dignitaries released a Coffee Table Book on 9th National Summit on Best Practices, Report on the 16th Common Review Mission Report, Four Regional Conferences of NHM (2024-25) report and the Non-Communicable Diseases Conference Report (Jan 2025).
Speaking on the occasion, Mohan Charan Majhi said that Odisha is an important pillar in the Union Government’s vision of a Swasthya Bharat. He said that under the motto of “Swasthya Odisha, Samruddh Odisha”, the state will bring more energy and focus in achieving all the UN SDG goals.
Majhi said that the merging of Odisha’s Gopabandhu Jan Arogya Yojana with the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PMJAY) scheme is a momentous step as people from Odisha can now access over 29,000 private hospitals across the country, benefiting over 4.5 crore people, especially the migrant workers of the state.
He informed that a slew of national institutes are coming up in the state including National Institute of Yoga and Naturopathy, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education & Research (NIPER) and a National Institute of Speech and Hearing. He also stated that a new Government Nursing College and four dental colleges will be opened in Odisha.
Dr Mukesh Mahaling highlighted that Odisha has made remarkable achievements in institutional deliveries which has increased to more than 92% today. He stated that “MMR and IMR cases have reduced at a fast pace. Cancer treatment and chemotherapy are already provided in the district hospitals in Odisha.”
He further stated that the government is working towards ensuring that all districts in Odisha have hospitals.
Punya Salila Srivastava noted that the NHM National Summits has developed into a powerful medium for delivery of equitable, quality and affordable health services. She noted that states will be able to share best practices and learnings from Common Review Missions (CRMs) held earlier which will help them in widening Jan Bhagidari, optimizing resources and meeting challenges.
She urged states to continue to focus on enhancing quality standards and assess the areas where more resources are required for more effective service delivery.
