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

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...

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

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...

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

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 ...

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

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....

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

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...

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

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...

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

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...

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

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...

ICMR launches India’s largest biomedical innovation platform, transfers 41 health technologies to industry

May 25, 2026 5:35 PM

ICMR launches India’s largest biomedical innovation platform, transfers 41 health technologies to industry

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR ) on Monday organised “Medical Innovations Patent Mitra: Innovators-to-Industry (I2I) Connect” in New Delhi, marking India’s largest biomedical innovation and technology transfer facilitation event aimed at accelerating the commercialization of indigenous healthcare technologies. Held at the Manekshaw Centre, the event established one of India’s first structured platforms dedicated to biomedical innovation showcasing and technology transfer u...

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

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...