Health Secretary Apurva Chandra Confirms Continuation of NHM Funding to Hospitals

In a recent letter, secretary Chandra reassured that hospitals transitioning into medical colleges will maintain their roles and funding under the NHM.

Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra has clarified that district and referral hospitals being converted into medical colleges will continue to receive funding support from the National Health Mission (NHM).

This assurance comes amid concerns from certain states and union territories about potential funding cessation for these hospitals.

In a recent letter, secretary Chandra reassured that hospitals transitioning into medical colleges will maintain their roles and funding under the NHM.

This communication aimed to address the apprehensions and demands for constructing additional district and referral hospitals, stemming from fears of losing funding for existing ones.

Hospital Upgradation Scheme

A centrally sponsored scheme to provide central funding support for opening new medical colleges by strengthening/upgrading the district hospitals was introduced in 2014 “Establishment of New Medical Colleges attached with existing District/Referral Hospitals”.

The scheme aims to strengthen and upgrade district hospitals to facilitate the opening of new medical colleges. It provides central funding support for this purpose. Moreover, it focuses on underserved areas and aspirational districts where there is no existing government or private medical college.

Additionally, funding is shared between the center and state governments, with different ratios based on geographical region

Highlighting the scheme, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said, “Three phases of a [Centrally sponsored] scheme have been implemented, to date, under which 157 colleges have been sanctioned in line with the objective of increasing medical professionals. As of now, of these 157 medical colleges, 108 have already become functional. Of the 157 colleges approved, 40 are located in the aspirational districts enabling an impetus of investment in these districts.”

Over the past nine years, there have been significant efforts to increase the number of medical colleges, bringing the total to 706 nationwide.

Since 2014, 319 medical colleges have been added, including private institutions, marking an 82% increase.

The expansion of India’s medical education network focuses on professional education quality and accessibility, particularly in underserved regions. This aligns with the global push to improve the doctor-to-population ratio for better healthcare access.

In a similar development, the union health secretary called upon states and union territories to expedite the integration of Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) with various health portals to enhance digital healthcare services, earlier this year.

According to him, linking ABHA with platforms such as Reproductive Child Health (RCH) and the National Tuberculosis Elimination Program (NIKSHAY) is crucial for optimizing the benefits of digital health records.