Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

October 11, 2026 4:02 PM

Health Minister Nadda to lay foundation stone for ICMR’s first high-altitude health research centre in Keylong

Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda will lay the foundation stone of the Indian Council of Medical Research’s first dedicated centre for high-altitude medicine and public health research at Keylong in Himachal Pradesh’s Lahaul and Spiti district on October 12. The ICMR Centre for High Altitude Medicine and Public Health Research (ICMR-CHAMP) is being established under the Department of Health Research, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, to strengthen multidisciplinary research, in...

October 7, 2026 11:55 AM

JOSH teams to be rolled out across 55 districts in 11 states to boost TB awareness

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with the Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports and the Ministry of Defence, will launch JOSH (Joint Squad for Health) Teams on October 8 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. In the first phase, JOSH Teams will be rolled out across 55 districts in 11 states to strengthen youth-led community mobilisation and take the message of TB Mukt Bharat to the grassroots. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and Chemicals and Fert...

October 6, 2026 12:26 PM

eSanjeevani crosses 50 crore milestone; women account for 57% of utilisation

India’s national telemedicine service eSanjeevani has crossed the milestone of 50 crore teleconsultations, marking a major expansion of digital healthcare services across the country. According to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the platform crossed the landmark on September 15, 2026, recording a cumulative 50,00,92,730 teleconsultations across all 36 States and Union Territories. The platform has emerged as a major component of India’s digital health ecosystem, particul...

October 1, 2026 12:16 PM

‘Ek Din, Ek Ghanta, Ek Saath’: Health Ministry officials join cleanliness drive

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare organised a voluntary cleanliness drive, or Shramdaan, under the ‘Swachhata Hi Seva 2026’ campaign near Gate No. 3 of Kartavya Bhavan-1 on Dr Rajendra Prasad Marg in New Delhi. Dr Rajiv Bahl, Secretary, Department of Health Research and Director General, Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), led the cleanliness drive. Senior officials, including Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Aradhana Pa...

September 18, 2026 9:36 AM

Health Ministry observes World Patient Safety Day 2026 with focus on safe NCD care

The Union Health Ministry on Thursday commemorated World Patient Safety Day 2026 at the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) in New Delhi, with the national observance focusing on “Safe Care for Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs)”. Addressing the event, Additional Secretary and Mission Director (NHM) Aradhana Patnaik stressed that patient safety must be embedded across the health system, particularly in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment and long-term management of NCDs. ...

September 17, 2026 9:55 AM

Health Ministry issues advisory to regulate stem cell therapy

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has issued an advisory to States and Union Territories on the regulation of stem cell therapy, reiterating that such treatment can be offered as standard care only for disease conditions and indications approved by the Ministry. The advisory, dated September 16, 2026, has been issued to all States and Union Territories that have adopted the Clinical Establishments (Registration and Regulation) Act, 2010, in the wake of a January 30, 2026 j...

September 8, 2026 10:59 PM

India expands medical, nursing and allied health workforce to boost equitable access to specialised care

India has highlighted a major expansion of its medical, nursing and allied healthcare workforce at the 79th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia (RC79), reaffirming its commitment to ensuring equitable access to specialised healthcare for rural, tribal, underserved and hard-to-reach populations. Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda made the remarks while addressing a Ministerial Roundtable on “Human Resources for Health: Equity in Specialized Care” in Tim...

August 24, 2026 12:12 PM

Health Ministry proposes medical device rule changes to ease compliance, speed up market access

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has proposed amendments to the Medical Devices Rules, 2017, aimed at simplifying regulatory requirements, improving transparency and facilitating faster market access for eligible medical devices. The proposed reforms cover three key areas - outsourced sterilisation of medical devices, standardisation of testing fees and recognition of the European Union as a stringent regulatory jurisdiction for waiving clinical investigation requirements...

August 19, 2026 11:52 PM

Health Ministry workshop focuses on early detection, contact tracing to curb leprosy transmission

The Union Health Ministry on Wednesday began a two-day review-cum-capacity building workshop under the National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP) in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, with a focus on strengthening early detection, contact tracing and treatment to accelerate efforts to interrupt leprosy transmission. Organised by the Central Leprosy Division (CLD) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the workshop brought together more than 70 health officials, technical experts and development ...

August 13, 2026 9:51 PM

ICMR-SHINE 2026 concludes, bringing biomedical research closer to thousands of school students

The second edition of the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) Science & Health Innovation for the Nextgen Explorers (SHINE) programme concluded on August 12, giving thousands of school students across the country an opportunity to experience biomedical and public health research first-hand. Organised by the Department of Health Research and ICMR on August 11-12, the nationwide initiative covered 83 locations across 31 States and Union Territories, taking scientific exposure beyond...