The National Health Mission (NHM) has played a pivotal role in significantly enhancing India’s healthcare system between FY 2021-24, with major achievements that include engaging over 12 lakh additional healthcare workers and administering 220 crore COVID-19 vaccine doses, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Health.
A key achievement is the reduction of the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) by 83% since 1990, surpassing global trends, and the Under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) decreasing by 75% in the same period. India also made significant strides in TB control, reducing the incidence rate to 195 per 1,00,000 population by 2023.
Expanding Workforce and Healthcare Resources
The NHM strategically bolstered its healthcare workforce by employing over 12 lakh additional professionals from FY 2021-24, including medical officers, specialists, staff nurses, ANMs, AYUSH doctors, and public health managers. The number of Community Health Officers (CHOs) rose from 90,740 in FY 2021-22 to 1.38 lakh by FY 2023-24, significantly strengthening rural and underserved healthcare services.
COVID-19 Response and Vaccination Efforts
NHM was instrumental in India’s COVID-19 response, facilitating the administration of over 220 crore vaccine doses from January 2021 to March 2024. The India COVID-19 Emergency Response and Health Systems Preparedness Package (ECRP) also supported system-wide enhancements during the pandemic.
Maternal and Child Health Milestones
Maternal Mortality Ratio dropped to 97 per lakh live births by 2020, marking a 25% reduction since 2014-16 levels. U5MR also improved, falling from 45 per 1,000 live births in 2014 to 32 in 2020. Additionally, the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) decreased from 39 per 1,000 live births in 2014 to 28 in 2020, while the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) dropped to 2.0 by 2020, as per NFHS-5 data. These improvements position India on track to meet its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) ahead of the 2030 deadline.
Disease Elimination and Control
Under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), TB incidence reduced from 237 per 1,00,000 population in 2015 to 195 by 2023, with the TB mortality rate also dropping from 28% to 22%. The Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, launched in 2022, saw over 1.56 lakh Ni-kshay Mitra volunteers supporting 9.4 lakh TB patients.
India’s efforts against malaria also showed success, with a 13.28% decline in cases and a 3.22% drop in deaths by 2021 compared to 2020. The NHM met its 2023 Kala-azar elimination target, achieving less than one case per 10,000 population in all endemic blocks.
Specialized Initiatives and Digital Innovations
The NHM launched the National Sickle Cell Anemia Elimination Mission in 2023, screening over 2.61 crore individuals, primarily in tribal areas, with a goal to eliminate the disease by 2047. The U-WIN platform, launched in January 2023, digitized vaccination tracking, improving immunization efforts for pregnant women, infants, and children.
Infrastructure and Emergency Healthcare Services
As of March 2024, 7,998 public health facilities were certified under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS), while over 4,200 had national certification. The Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM) centres expanded to 1.72 lakh, offering essential healthcare across the country. Emergency healthcare services saw improvement with 12,348 24×7 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and 3,133 First Referral Units (FRUs) operational by 2024.
Public Health Campaigns
Public health campaigns addressing tobacco use and snakebite envenoming also showed progress. The National Action Plan for Snakebite Envenoming (NAPSE) was launched in 2023, and tobacco use reduced by 17.3% over the past decade.
Through these comprehensive efforts, the NHM continues to drive progress in India’s healthcare landscape, advancing towards key health targets and Sustainable Development Goals well ahead of the 2030 deadline.