Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda on Friday chaired a high-level review meeting with the Health Ministers and senior officials of Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, stressing the need for mission-mode healthcare reforms, strict drug regulation, strengthened diagnostics, and accelerated progress towards TB Mukt Bharat. The meeting focused on enhancing healthcare delivery, patient satisfaction, regulatory oversight, and Centre–State coordination in public health.
Mission-Mode Push for Healthcare Reforms
Shri Nadda underlined that healthcare reforms must be pursued with a mission-oriented approach, placing patient-centric care at the core. He emphasised that improving patient satisfaction, strengthening regulatory supervision, and ensuring compliance should be treated as continuous national priorities, rather than one-time interventions.
Strengthening Drug Regulation and Supply Chains
Highlighting the importance of robust drug regulation, the Union Health Minister stressed continuous monitoring of the entire supply chain—from manufacturing to distribution—to ensure quality and safety of medicines. On the Free Drugs and Free Diagnostics schemes, he directed both States to strengthen supply-chain mechanisms and address monitoring gaps.
He informed that the Ministry is collaborating with IIM Ahmedabad to enhance logistics, transparency, and accountability in drug and diagnostic procurement systems across states.
Diagnostics and Professional Hospital Management
Shri Nadda noted that quality diagnostics and timely testing are the backbone of effective healthcare delivery and must be strengthened across primary, secondary, and tertiary healthcare levels. While acknowledging the central role of doctors in clinical care, he stressed the need for professional hospital administration and dedicated regulatory oversight.
Special emphasis was laid on strengthening regulation of blood banks, hospital systems, and safety protocols to ensure consistent quality standards.
Leveraging Telemedicine for Wider Access
The Union Health Minister highlighted telemedicine as a key enabler for expanding access to quality healthcare, particularly in remote and underserved areas. He encouraged Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to integrate telemedicine platforms more deeply into routine service delivery to ensure uninterrupted access to specialist consultations.
TB Mukt Bharat: District-Level Mission Approach
Reiterating the Government’s commitment to eliminate tuberculosis, Shri Nadda called for district-specific interventions, focusing on intensified screening, diagnostics, treatment adherence, and nutritional support. He stressed that TB elimination must be driven in mission mode, with close monitoring at district and block levels to achieve measurable outcomes.
Jan Bhagidari and Political Engagement
Emphasising Jan Bhagidari (people’s participation), Shri Nadda proposed sensitisation workshops for MLAs to encourage active engagement with Block Medical Officers (BMOs) and Chief Medical Officers (CMOs) through regular reviews. He said people’s participation is vital for accountability, improved outcomes, and building public trust in government health programmes.
Centre–State Partnership and Support
Deputy Chief Minister and Minister of Public Health and Medical Education, Madhya Pradesh, Shri Rajendra Shukla, and Minister of Health & Family Welfare and Medical Education, Chhattisgarh, Shri Shyam Bihari Jaiswal, assured full cooperation with the Union Health Ministry to strengthen implementation and outcomes.
Shri Nadda reiterated the Centre’s continued support through National Health Mission (NHM) interventions, PPP models, expansion of medical education, viability gap funding, and infrastructure support. He also assured technical training and hand-holding support to Chhattisgarh, particularly for prioritised management of Leprosy.
Nationwide Consultative Drive on Health Reforms
The Union Health Minister announced that similar consultative meetings will be held with Health Ministers of other States in the coming days, as part of a nationwide mission-mode consultative drive to accelerate health sector reforms and strengthen cooperative federalism in public health.
Conclusion
The high-level review concluded with a shared resolve to strengthen drug regulation, diagnostics, hospital administration, medical education, and TB elimination efforts in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. The meeting reaffirmed the Centre–State partnership in building accessible, affordable, and modern healthcare systems, aligned with the national vision of TB Mukt Bharat and patient-centric public health governance.
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Source: PIB
