Union Health Minister, Jagat Prakash Nadda today said that “India’s health system embraces a “whole of government” and “whole of society” approach to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), with emphasis on strengthening primary healthcare and essential services.” Addressing the 77th session of the World Health Organization(WHO) Southeast Asia Region, the Minister said that the government’s Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana has covered over 120 million families and provided an annual hospitalization benefit of 6,000 dollars per family.

Mr Nadda emphasized that India has backed the WHO in creating the Global Traditional Medicine Centre, aimed at promoting these systems on a global scale. He added that India has been implementing the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases since 2010 to address conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases. This initiative has led to the establishment of 753 NCD clinics, 356 Day Care Centers, and 6,238 Community Health Centers to focus on preventive measures at an early stage.

Mr Nadda has also been elected as the Chairperson Of the 77th Session Of the WHO South East Asia Regional Committee.