Union Health Minister JP Nadda today announced that the government plans to add 75,000 new seats in medical education over the next five years. Mr Nadda was addressing the inaugural session of the International Symposium on Health Technology Assessment (ISHTA) 2025 at Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi. Mr. Nadda also highlighted that the number of medical colleges in the country has increased by 101 per cent since 2014. To strengthen secondary and tertiary healthcare, 22 All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have been inaugurated. He further emphasized the government’s focus on expanding the healthcare sector by providing training to paramedics, nurses, and frontline workers.
The Minister highlighted the success of Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, the world’s largest publicly funded health insurance scheme, which provides secondary and tertiary hospitalization benefits up to 5 lakh rupees per year to each family. He noted that nearly 610 million people, or 40 per cent of country’s population, benefit from the scheme. Mr. Nadda also mentioned that the 2025-26 Union Budget has allocated 998.6 billion rupees to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, reflecting a 191 per cent increase from 2014-2015. He urged experts, innovators, and researchers to promote health technology assessments to increase the credibility of indigenous technologies both within India and internationally.
Mr. Nadda reiterated that healthcare remains a priority for the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. The government is focused on delivering holistic, inclusive, and accessible healthcare, which includes preventive, curative, palliative, and rehabilitative care. He also pointed out the significant role of over 175,000 Arogya Ayush Mandirs under the National Health Mission in promoting preventive and primary healthcare. During the event, Mr. Nadda launched the Indian Council of Medical Research’s (ICMR) Health Technology Assessment (HTA) Tech Compendium and Patent Mitra initiative, which aims to support affordable healthcare solutions and innovation.
The Minister also acknowledged the vital contributions of women in the healthcare sector, from frontline workers like ASHAs to key policymakers, commending their dedication to advancing healthcare in India. ISHTA 2025 is an annual multidisciplinary conference that brings together experts from various fields to discuss the latest research and developments in health technology assessment. The theme of this two day symposium is Bridging Evidence to Policy: Health Technology Assessment for Affordable Healthcare. It provides a platform for researchers, policymakers, and industry representatives to discuss the latest advancements in health technology assessment and collaborate on strategies to strengthen healthcare systems. The event was also attended by Member of Parliament Bansuri Swaraj, NITI Aayog Member VK Paul, and Punya Salila Srivastava, Secretary of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, among others.
