Ministry of Health and Family Welfare

July 11, 2026 6:40 PM

Health Ministry launches monthly NHM webinar series to promote innovation in public healthcare

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) on Saturday launched a monthly webinar series on best practices under the National Health Mission (NHM) to promote innovation, facilitate knowledge sharing among States and Union Territories, and strengthen public health systems across the country. Launched on the occasion of World Population Day 2026, the initiative is designed as a year-round platform for documenting, sharing and replicating successful healthcare innovations. It aims to ...

July 10, 2026 6:14 PM

Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission emerges as one of world’s largest digital health ecosystems with over 93.95 crore ABHA IDs: J.P. Nadda

Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda on Friday said the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) has emerged as one of the world's largest digital health ecosystems, while stressing that the next phase of the mission should focus on maximizing its adoption and utilization across the country. Chairing the third meeting of the Mission Steering Group (MSG), Nadda reviewed the progress of the flagship digital health initiative and outlined the roadmap for strengthening India's digital health eco...

July 10, 2026 12:51 PM

Centre amends Drugs Rules to regulate high-alcohol medicinal formulations

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has amended the Drugs Rules, 1945 to strengthen regulatory oversight and prevent the misuse of medicinal formulations containing high levels of ethyl alcohol. Under the amendment, the existing exemption under Schedule K from licensing requirements for certain ethyl alcohol-based formulations has been removed. The move aims to regulate products that contain high concentrations of alcohol and could potentially be diverted for non-medical use. Certain med...

July 5, 2026 3:16 PM

ICMR’s AI-powered mental healthcare platform wins gold at National e-Governance Awards 2026

The Indian Council of Medical Research's (ICMR) flagship digital mental healthcare initiative, ICMR-MINDS, has been awarded the Gold Award under the "Innovation by Use of AI and Other New Age Technologies for Providing Citizen-Centric Services" category at the National Awards for e-Governance 2026. The award, instituted by the Department of Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG) under the Ministry of Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, recognises the platform's innovative u...

June 26, 2026 12:23 PM

Health Ministry seeks public feedback on draft rules to ease imported drug shelf-life norms

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has invited public comments on a draft amendment to the Drugs Rules, 1945, proposing to rationalise the residual shelf-life requirement for imported medicines in a move aimed at improving supply chain efficiency and promoting ease of doing business in the pharmaceutical sector. The proposed amendment, published through Gazette Notification G.S.R. 505(E) dated June 22, 2026, seeks to amend Rule 31 of the Drugs Rules, 1945. Under the revised...

June 21, 2026 12:08 PM

Health Ministry marks Yoga Day with nationwide celebrations; over 1.87 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs participate

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) celebrated the 12th International Day of Yoga (IDY) 2026 with large-scale participation across the country, reinforcing the government's commitment to promoting holistic health, wellness, and preventive healthcare through yoga. The nationwide observance was led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who participated in the main International Day of Yoga event in Kolkata and highlighted the significance of this year's theme, "Yoga for Healthy Age...

June 16, 2026 4:43 PM

Centre tightens regulation of cough syrup sales, withdraws exemption for small villages

In a move aimed at strengthening regulatory oversight and ensuring safer distribution of medicines, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has amended the Drugs Rules, 1945, withdrawing a long-standing exemption that allowed the sale of cough syrups in small villages without compliance with certain retail licensing requirements. The amendment, notified through Gazette Notification G.S.R. 927(E) dated December 29, 2025, removes the word "Syrup" from Schedule K, Serial No. 13, Entry 7 ...

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...