India’s public healthcare system has expanded significantly over the past 12 years, with government programmes focusing on health insurance, primary care, disease prevention, affordable medicines, digital health and expansion of medical infrastructure.
Under the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, eligible families receive health cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year. As of August 12, 2026, more than 45.5 crore Ayushman Cards had been issued and 12.69 crore hospitalisations had been covered, involving expenditure of Rs 1.92 lakh crore as of June 30, 2026.
More than 38,466 public and private hospitals are empanelled under the scheme, while 1.20 crore senior citizens have enrolled under the Ayushman Bharat Vay Vandana scheme. More than 13.84 lakh treatments worth Rs 3,000 crore have been availed by senior citizens.
The expansion of primary healthcare has also been a major focus. More than 1.86 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are now functional across the country, providing 12 free services. These centres have recorded a cumulative footfall of more than 540 crore.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission, support is being provided for rural and urban health and wellness centres, block public health units, integrated public health laboratories and critical care hospital blocks.
Digital infrastructure has emerged as another key component of the health system. Under the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, 96.43 crore ABHA health identity numbers had been created as of August 12, with more than 110 crore health records linked to ABHA.
The platform has also registered more than 5.47 lakh health facilities and over 10.50 lakh healthcare professionals.
Maternal and child healthcare has also recorded improvements. The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan has enabled more than 7.91 crore free antenatal check-ups and identified over 1.24 crore high-risk pregnancies.
Institutional deliveries increased from 78.9 per cent in 2015-16 to 90.6 per cent in 2023-24, while first-trimester antenatal registration rose from 58.6 per cent to 76.2 per cent during the same period.
The Universal Immunisation Programme reaches 2.67 crore newborns and 2.9 crore pregnant women every year with free vaccines against 12 diseases. Mission Indradhanush has vaccinated 5.46 crore children and 1.32 crore pregnant women across its various phases.
The government also launched a three-month HPV vaccination campaign in February 2026 targeting 1.2 crore girls aged 14 years. More than 52.10 lakh girls had received the vaccine as of July 15, 2026.
The health indicators cited by the government show a decline in maternal, neonatal and under-five mortality. Maternal mortality fell from 130 per one lakh live births in 2014-16 to 87 in 2022-24, while neonatal mortality declined from 28 per 1,000 live births in 2015 to 17 in 2023.
India has also expanded efforts to control communicable diseases. New tuberculosis cases emerging annually declined by 21 per cent between 2015 and 2024, while TB-related mortality fell by 28 per cent during the period.
TB treatment success rates increased from 83 per cent in 2021 to 90 per cent in 2025, while treatment coverage rose from 53 per cent in 2015 to 92 per cent in 2024.
For non-communicable diseases, nationwide screening programmes have covered 41.5 crore people for hypertension, 41.3 crore for diabetes, 35.3 crore for oral cancer and 16.5 crore for breast cancer.
The Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme has provided free dialysis to 32.44 lakh patients across 1,856 centres as of June 2026.
Affordability of medicines and diagnostic services has also been addressed through government initiatives. More than 18,646 Jan Aushadhi Kendras were operational as of February 2026, offering generic medicines at prices stated to be 50 to 80 per cent below branded alternatives.
The AMRIT pharmacy network provides discounts of 50 to 90 per cent on life-saving medicines. The initiative has benefited more than 6.85 crore patients, with medicines worth over Rs 17,000 crore dispensed at maximum retail prices and cumulative savings of about Rs 8,400 crore for patients.
Digital and telemedicine services have further expanded access to healthcare. The national eSanjeevani platform has delivered more than 49 crore consultations since its launch in 2019, with over 2.4 lakh healthcare providers registered on the platform.
Tele-MANAS, the national mental health helpline, operates in 20 languages across all 36 States and Union Territories and has received 43.64 lakh calls since its launch in 2022.
The government has also used drones to deliver medicines and vaccines to remote healthcare centres. Through the i-DRONE service, 22,000 medicines have been delivered over 7,700 kilometres through 65 healthcare centres.
The healthcare workforce and medical education infrastructure have expanded alongside these initiatives. The number of allopathic medical colleges more than doubled from 387 to 818 by 2025-26, while 12 new AIIMS have become functional since 2014, taking the total number of AIIMS to 23.
MBBS and postgraduate medical seats stood at 1,28,976 and 85,822, respectively, in 2025-26. The government is also setting up 157 new nursing colleges, with B.Sc. Nursing seats rising to 1,27,290.
Alongside modern medicine, the government has also expanded the institutional role of traditional healthcare systems through the Ministry of AYUSH. As of May 2025, there were 942 AYUSH institutions in the country, while the Ayush Grid is being developed as a digital platform connecting AYUSH hospitals and laboratories.
Together, the initiatives reflect an approach that combines financial protection, primary healthcare, disease prevention, affordable treatment, digital services and expansion of medical capacity to widen access to healthcare across the country.
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