Cabinet extends NHM for 5 years

The Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved continuation of the National Health Mission (NHM) for another five years.

Union minister Piyush Goyal said the decision to extend the NHM was taken after reviewing its progress in the past three years.

“The Budget will be presented on February 1 and you will see the government has always focused on health. And whatever funding is required for the NHM will be provided,” the minister said.

The maternal mortality ratio has declined significantly from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 97 per lakh in 2018-20, marking a 25 per cent reduction. Similarly, the under-5 mortality rate has also decreased from 45 per 1,000 live births in 2014 to 32 in 2020. This is a 75 per cent decline. The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has fallen from 39 per 1,000 live births in 2014 to 28 in 2020.

“These improvements indicate that India is on track to meet its SDG targets for maternal, child and infant mortality well ahead of 2030,” an official statement said.

A key achievement of the NHM has been the significant increase in human resources within the healthcare sector, the statement said.

In 2021-22, the NHM facilitated engagement of 2.69 lakh additional healthcare workers, including general duty medical officers, specialists, staff nurses, auxiliary nurse midwives, AYUSH doctors, allied healthcare workers and public health managers.

Under the Health Ministry’s National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme, the incidence of tuberculosis has reduced from 237 per 1,00,000 population in 2015 to 195 in 2023, and the mortality rate has decreased from 28 to 22 in the same period.