Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda chaired a high-level review meeting with the Health Ministers and senior officials of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh in New Delhi to assess healthcare delivery and accelerate national health programme implementation.
The meeting focused on strengthening public health systems, improving regulatory oversight, and advancing efforts to eliminate tuberculosis (TB), bringing together central and state leadership to evaluate performance and strategies for better outcomes.
Nadda emphasised robust drug regulation, calling for continuous monitoring of the pharmaceutical supply chain—from manufacture to distribution—to ensure medicine quality and safety. Both states were directed to strengthen supply-chain systems for the Free Drugs and Free Diagnostics schemes and close monitoring gaps. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is collaborating with the Indian Institute of Management Ahmedabad to enhance logistics, transparency, and accountability in procurement.
Quality diagnostics and timely testing were highlighted as foundational to effective healthcare delivery across primary, secondary, and tertiary levels, alongside the need for professional hospital management and regulatory compliance. Special focus was placed on strengthening regulation of blood banks, hospital systems, and safety protocols. Technology-driven solutions such as telemedicine were identified as critical to expanding access to care, particularly in remote and underserved areas, with states encouraged to integrate telemedicine into routine service delivery.
Reiterating the government’s commitment to eliminate TB, the meeting called for district-level interventions to intensify screening, diagnostics, treatment adherence, and nutritional support, pursuing TB elimination in mission mode through close monitoring at district and block levels. Sensitisation workshops for legislative assembly members were proposed to enhance engagement between local officials and medical officers, with public participation (Jan Bhagidari) emphasised as vital for accountability and better healthcare outcomes.
State representatives assured close collaboration with the Union Health Ministry to enhance implementation. The Centre reaffirmed support through National Health Mission interventions, public-private partnership models, medical education expansion, viability gap funding, and infrastructure support to ensure accessible, affordable, and modern healthcare systems. Priority technical training and support were pledged to Chhattisgarh for leprosy management, and similar consultative meetings with other states were planned as part of a mission-mode approach to health sector reforms.
The meeting concluded with a shared commitment to strengthen drug regulation, improve diagnostics, professionalise hospital administration, expand medical education capacity, and accelerate progress towards a TB-free India, reinforcing cooperative federalism in public health.
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