World Health Day 2025

World Health Day, observed annually on 7 April, highlights pressing global health issues and mobilises action to improve public health outcomes.Started by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1950, it unites governments, institutions, and communities in addressing critical health priorities each year.

In 2025, the theme, “Healthy Beginnings, Hopeful Futures,” launches a year-long campaign focused on maternal and newborn health, urging countries to end preventable deaths and prioritise women’s long-term well-being.

Aligning with this vision, the Government of India, through the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, continues to strengthen its commitment to equitable, accessible, and quality healthcare. Over the past decade, India’s health sector has made notable strides through initiatives like Ayushman Bharat and the National Health Mission, which have improved maternal and child health, expanded digital health access, and enhanced infrastructure and services.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has made substantial strides in improving India’s public health outcomes through various key initiatives and programs. The National Health Mission (NHM) has played a central role in this progress.To highlight these efforts and their impact, the following sections showcase key national health initiatives driving India’s progress toward universal health coverage and health equity for all.

India’s Progress in Maternal and Child Health

Maternal Mortality

• MMR (Maternal Mortality Ratio) in India dropped from 130 (2014-16) to 97 (2018-20) per 1,00,000 live births – a decline of 33 points.
• Over the last 30 years (1990–2020), MMR declined by 83% in India.
  • Global comparison: Global MMR reduced by 42% in the same period.

Infant & Child Mortality

• IMR (Infant Mortality Rate) dropped from 39 (2014) to 28 (2020) per 1,000 live births.

• NMR(Neonatal Mortality Rate) reduced from 26 (2014) to 20 (2020) per 1,000 live births.

• U5MR(Under-5 Mortality Rate) declined from 45 (2014) to 32 (2020) per 1,000 live births.

India vs Global Progress (1990–2020)

Other Interventions for Maternal Health and Pregnant Women

• Maternal Death Surveillance and Response (MDSR): Conducted at facility and community levels to identify causes of maternal deaths and implement corrective actions for improving obstetric care.
• Mother and Child Protection (MCP) Card & Safe Motherhood Booklet: Distributed to educate pregnant women on nutrition, rest, pregnancy danger signs, government schemes, and benefits of institutional deliveries.
• Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) Portal: A name-based digital platform to track pregnant women and newborns, ensuring timely antenatal, delivery, and postnatal care.
• Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB): Part of POSHAN Abhiyan; focuses on testing, treatment, and prevention of anaemia in adolescents and pregnant women through nutrition, awareness, and addressing non-nutritional causes.
• Birth Waiting Homes (BWH): Set up in remote and tribal areas to improve access and promote institutional deliveries.
• Village Health, Sanitation & Nutrition Day (VHSND): Monthly outreach at Anganwadi Centres for maternal and child care services in collaboration with MoWCD.
• Outreach Camps: Organized in tribal and difficult areas to deliver maternal healthcare, raise awareness, mobilize communities, and monitor high-risk pregnancies.

Wider Access to Quality Health Services

• As of 5^th April2025, there are over 1.76 lakh active Ayushman Arogya Mandirs(Health & Wellness Centres) in India, providing comprehensive primary health care.
• According to the portal, 107.10 crorescreenings for hypertension and 94.56 crorescreenings for diabetes have been conducted at the Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs).
• Wellness-related activities, such as yoga, cycling, and meditation, are conducted in AAMs. As of 28^th February 2025, a total of 5.06 crorewellness sessions, including Yoga, have been undertaken at AAMs.
• As of 30^th November 2024, there are 17,000+ government health facilities certified under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS), a framework by the Ministry to ensure continuous quality improvement and patient-centric care in public health facilities.

Digital Health Interventions

• The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) is a unified digital health ecosystem to securely connect patients, healthcare providers, and systems through an interoperable digital infrastructure.As of April 5, 2025, over 76 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Accounts (ABHA) have been created under the ABDM.
• There are over 5.95 lakhverified healthcare professionals registered under the ABDM Scheme, with over3.86 lakh verified health facilities.Under ABDM, more than 52 crores health records are linked.
• U-WIN is a digital platform that streamlines and tracks immunization for pregnant women and children (0–16 years), enabling flexible, anytime-anywhere vaccine access under the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP).
• As of 15th December 2024, 7.90 crorebeneficiaries have been registered, 1.32 crorevaccination sessions have been held, and 29.22 croreadministered vaccine doses have been recorded on U-WIN.
• eSanjeevani, India’s National Telemedicine Service, bridges gaps in healthcare access by providing free, equitable, and remote medical consultations, emerging as the world’s largest telemedicine platform for primary care.
• As of April 6, 2025, e-Sanjeevani has served over 36 crore patients through teleconsultations since its launch in 2020, making healthcare accessible remotely with 232,291 providers onboardedto date.There are131,793 spokes operationalizedand17,051 hubs established, with130 specialitiesunder e-Sanjeevani.

Disease Elimination & Control

• The WHO World Malaria Report 2024 highlights India’s major strides in malaria elimination, with a 69% drop in cases and 68% reduction in deaths between 2017 and 2023. Contributing just 0.8% of global cases in 2023, India’s exit from WHO’s High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) group in 2024marks a significant public health achievement.
• The Government of India has eliminated Trachoma as a public health problem in 2024, a feat recognised by the WHO.
• The Government of India’s proactive Measles-Rubella vaccination drive, strong surveillance, and public awareness efforts have greatly improved public health. As of March 6, 2024, 50 districts reported no measles cases and 226 districts saw no rubella cases in the past year.
• According to WHO’s Global TB Report, India has made strong progress in tuberculosis control. Under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme (NTEP), TB incidence fell by 17.7%, from 237 to 195 cases per lakh population between 2015 and 2023. TB-related deaths also declined from 28 to 22 per lakh. Notably, missing TB cases dropped by 83%, from 15 lakh in 2015 to 2.5 lakh in 2023.
• As of 6^th April, 2025 the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, launched in September 2022, has registered over 2.5 lakh Ni-kshay Mitra volunteers supporting over 15 lakh TB patients. This initiative has further been expanded to include family members of TB patients.
• Kala-azar Elimination: India has successfully achieved Kala-azar elimination as of October 2024, with 100% of endemic blocks reaching the target of less than one case per 10,000 population by the end of 2023.

Affordable Health Coverage for All

• Under Ayushman Bharat – PM Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY):
• As of December 20, 2024, over 55 crore beneficiaries from India’s economically vulnerable population in the bottom 40% arecovered with ₹5 lakh health insurance per family.
• Over40 crore Ayushman Cards have been issued as of 3rdApril 2025.
• Over 8.50 crore authorised hospital admissions throughout the country.
• Overall, 31,846 hospitals (17,434 public and 14,412 private)have been officially empanelled under the scheme as of 3^rd April 2025.
• ASHA and Anganwadi workers are now included as beneficiaries.
• Over 25 lakh+enrollments for Ayushman Vay Vandana Cards under the scheme as of December 9^th, 2024.

Mental Wellness Health Interventions

• Tele-MANAS (National Tele-Mental Health Programme)now operates 53 cells across 36 States/UTs, offering 24×7 mental health support in 20 languages.
• As of 5^th April 2025, over 20 lakh calls have been handled, with more than 230 crores allocated to NTMHP in the past three years.
• As of5^th April 2025, there are around 440 Rehabilitation Homes (RH)/Halfway Homes (HH) in the country as per the ManoashrayaDashboard.

Towards a Healthier Future

India’s advancements in public health, especially in maternal and child care, reflect a strong commitment to equitable and inclusive healthcare. Through transformative initiatives like Ayushman Bharat, the National Health Mission, and targeted maternal programs such as JSY, PMSMA, SUMAN, and LaQshya, the country has significantly reduced maternal and child mortality rates and improved institutional delivery access. Complemented by digital health interventions like ABDM and eSanjeevani, disease elimination drives, and mental health support through Tele-MANAS, India is steadily progressing towards universal health coverage.

Source: PIB