Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The WHO World Malaria Report 2024 highlights India’s major strides in malaria elimination, with a 69 per cent drop in cases and 68 per cent reduction in deaths between 2017 and 2023. Contributing just 0.8 per cent to global cases in 2023, India’s exit from WHO’s High Burden to High Impact (HBHI) group in 2024 marks a significant public health achievement.
The Government has eliminated trachoma as a public health problem in 2024, a feat recognised by the WHO.
The Government’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, TB incidence fell by 17.7 pc, from 237 to 195 cases per lakh population between 2015 and 2023. TB-related deaths also declined from 28 to 22 per lakh.
As of April 6, 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 target
India has successfully achieved Kala-Azar elimination as of October 2024, with 100 pc of endemic blocks reaching the target of less than one case per 10,000 population by the end of 2023.
As of December 20, 2024, over 55 crore beneficiaries from India’s economically vulnerable population in the bottom 40 pc are covered with Rs 5 lakh health insurance per family under Ayushman Bharat – PM Jan Arogya Yojana.
Over40 crore Ayushman cards have been issued as of April 3, 2025 and over 8.50 crore authorised hospital admissions made throughout the country. Overall, 31,846 hospitals (17,434 public and 14,412 private) have been officially empanelled under the scheme as of April 3, 2025. ASHA and Anganwadi workers are now included as beneficiaries.
Mental wellness steps
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 April 5, 2025, over 20 lakh calls have been handled, with more than Rs 230 crore allocated to NTMHP in the past three years.
As of April 5, 2025, there are around 440 Rehabilitation Homes (RH)/Halfway Homes (HH) in the country as per the Manoashraya dashboard.
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 programmes 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 e-Sanjeevani, disease elimination drives, and mental health support through Tele-MANAS, India is steadily progressing towards universal health coverage.
