health ministry

June 8, 2026 5:30 PM

PMSMA turns 10: Health ministry to launch nationwide celebrations, JP Nadda to unveil ‘A Decade of Care’ campaign

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) will kick off nationwide celebrations on June 9 to commemorate a decade of the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), one of India’s flagship maternal healthcare initiatives aimed at ensuring safe pregnancies and healthy motherhood. The year-long observance, themed “10 Years of PMSMA – A Decade of Care,” will be formally launched by Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda at a national event in New Delhi....

June 8, 2026 1:57 PM

India’s health transformation: How 12 years of reform reshaped healthcare and expanded access for millions

India's healthcare sector has undergone a sweeping transformation over the past 12 years, driven by large-scale investments in public health infrastructure, health insurance, digital healthcare, medical education and disease control programmes. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said these reforms have strengthened healthcare delivery across the country and accelerated India's progress toward universal health coverage. From the rollout of the world's largest publicly funded healt...

June 8, 2026 10:03 AM

West Bengal to join Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY, becoming 36th state/UT to implement National Health Scheme

In a significant step toward expanding healthcare coverage across the country, West Bengal is set to become the 36th State/Union Territory to implement the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY), the world's largest publicly funded health assurance programme. The National Health Authority (NHA), under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), and the Government of West Bengal will sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on Monday at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi, fo...

June 7, 2026 12:57 PM

NFHS-6 Fact Sheets highlight health gains, support government’s data harmonisation drive

The release of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6 Fact Sheets marks a significant milestone in India's evolving health and statistical ecosystem, highlighting improvements in key health, nutrition and demographic indicators while supporting the government's push towards greater data harmonisation across national information systems. According to senior officials in the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the NFHS-6 Fact Sheets present findings on 101 major indicators, providing a sna...

May 29, 2026 5:41 PM

India records major gains in maternal, child health and nutrition in NFHS-6: Health Ministry

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Friday released the National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6), highlighting significant improvements in maternal and child healthcare, nutrition, immunisation coverage and financial protection across the country during 2023-24. Conducted by the MoHFW with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, as the nodal agency, the survey covered nearly 6.79 lakh households across 715 districts and provides key data on populatio...

May 29, 2026 4:32 PM

World No Tobacco Day: Health Secretary launches Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions app

Ahead of World No Tobacco Day 2026, Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava on Friday launched the pilot version of the Tobacco-Free Educational Institutions (ToFEI) Application and released a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for tobacco product sample collection, reinforcing the Centre’s efforts to combat tobacco and nicotine addiction among youth. The initiatives were launched during a national event organised under the National Tobacco Control Programme (NTCP) at Kartavya Bhawan i...

May 22, 2026 12:34 PM

Health Ministry brings Pregabalin under stricter schedule H1 rules to curb misuse

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has brought the drug Pregabalin under the stricter Schedule H1 category of the Drugs Rules, 1945, in a move aimed at preventing misuse, illegal sale and unauthorised access to the medicine. The MoHFW issued the notification through Gazette Notification G.S.R. 377(E) dated May 13, 2026, which was published in the Gazette of India on May 20. The ministry said that the decision was taken following reports from several states regarding the mi...

May 18, 2026 9:02 PM

Government Closely Monitoring Ebola Situation in Central Africa; Public Health Measures Being Strengthened

The Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW) is closely monitoring the recent outbreak of Ebola Virus Disease caused by the Bundibugyo virus strain in parts of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Uganda, following the declaration of a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) by the World Health Organization (WHO). Senior officials of the Ministry, including officials from the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDS...

May 8, 2026 3:14 PM

Centre launches integrated training framework for frontline healthcare teams

Union Health Minister J.P Nadda has launched the Integrated Training for Primary Healthcare Teams, a unified and competency-driven framework aimed at strengthening India’s frontline healthcare delivery system. The initiative was unveiled during the 10th National Summit on “Innovation and Inclusivity: Best Practices Shaping India’s Health Future”, which was held in Chandigarh from April 30 to May 1. According to the Health Ministry, the new framework seeks to replace fragmented programm...

May 4, 2026 3:29 PM

Health Ministry launches nationwide Fire Safety Week, unveils new guidelines for hospitals

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Monday launched a nationwide Fire Safety Week, aimed at strengthening fire prevention, preparedness and response systems across healthcare facilities. The initiative was inaugurated with a nationwide pledge led by Union Health Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, focusing on the theme “Fire Safety in Health Facilities.” The week-long campaign, from May 4 to 10, coincides with the release of the National Guidelines on Fire and Life Safety in...