The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has taken significant steps to enhance healthcare infrastructure and access across the country through various schemes and initiatives. The Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission focuses on strengthening health and wellness centres in rural and urban areas, adding critical care beds in district hospitals, establishing block public health units in 11 high-focus states, and creating integrated district public health laboratories in all districts. These initiatives aim to provide better healthcare access and early disease detection, especially in rural areas.
The Fifteenth Finance Commission has allocated grants to local governments from 2021-22 to 2025-26 to strengthen grassroots health systems. The Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana addresses regional imbalances in affordable tertiary healthcare and augments facilities for quality medical education through the establishment of All India Institutes of Medical Sciences and the upgradation of existing government medical colleges and institutions. Under the centrally sponsored scheme, new medical colleges are being established in underserved areas and aspirational districts, with a fund-sharing mechanism of 90:10 between the Centre and northeastern or special category states and 60:40 for other states.
The government provides incentives under the National Health Mission to encourage doctors and paramedics to serve in rural and remote areas. These include hard area allowances for specialists, honorariums for gynecologists, pediatricians, and anesthetists conducting critical care procedures, and special incentives for auxiliary nurse midwives performing timely antenatal checkups and reproductive health activities. States are permitted to offer negotiable salaries to attract specialists and introduce non-monetary incentives like preferential admission to postgraduate courses for staff working in difficult areas.
Skill upgradation programs and multi-skilling initiatives for doctors have been launched under the National Rural Health Mission to address specialist shortages. These measures are complemented by improved residential arrangements for medical personnel in rural areas to ensure equitable access to healthcare facilities.
Through these comprehensive efforts, the government is committed to addressing regional disparities, improving rural healthcare access, and ensuring the availability of skilled medical personnel across the country.
