New Delhi: India has demonstrated a significant strengthening of its health infrastructure to make quality healthcare accessible to all, resulting in excellence and numerous achievements in the healthcare industry in 2023.
In 2023, India embarked on a mission to eliminate sickle cell anaemia by 2047, which entailed awareness creation, universal screening of seven crore people in the age group of 0–40 years in affected tribal areas, and counselling through collaborative efforts of central ministries and state governments.
The Union Budget 2023–24 allocated funds to the various Health Departments to facilitate accessibility to quality healthcare for all.
- Rs 86,175 crore allocated to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- Rs 3,365 crore allocated to Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY)
- Rs 2,980 crore allocated to the Department of Health Research
- Rs 645.68 crore allocated to the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PMABHIM)
- Rs 341 crore allocated to the National Digital Health Mission (NDHM)
- Rs 29,085 crore allocated to the National Health Mission (NHM)
- Rs 134 crore allocated to the National Tele-Mental Health Programme
- Rs 6,500 crore allotted to Human Resources for Health and Medical Education
- As a part of the budget allocated to the Department of Health Research, Rs 2,360 crore was allocated to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR)
- Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) was allotted Rs 72,00 crore
There were several strides India saw in the medical education sector in 2023. In February 2023, Nirmala Sitharaman, Finance Minister, Government of India, announced that 157 new nursing colleges will be established in co-location with the existing 157 medical colleges established since 2014. A new pharmaceutical research programme will also be formulated, and the industry will be encouraged to invest in research.In August 2023, Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Health Minister, Government of India, stated that India was set to emerge as a global production hub for medical devices. The minister said the market size of the Indian medical devices sector is likely to reach $50 billion in the coming years from the current $11 billion.
The government circulated the latest draft of the Drugs, Medical Devices, and Cosmetics Bill 2023 with a provision allowing the government to regulate, restrict, or ban the online sale or distribution of any drugs by notification.
Dr Jitendra Singh, Minister of State (Independent Charge), Ministry of Science and Technology, Government of India, on August 1, 2023, launched India’s first indigenously developed, affordable, lightweight, ultrafast, high-field (1.5 Tesla), next-generation magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanner in New Delhi.
The high-powered magnetron developed by CSIR-CEERI (Central Electronics Engineering Research Institute), Pilani for commercial use proved to be a path-breaking technology for oncologists to treat even 2 mm-diameter brain tumours with precision radiation with very few side-effects.
NMC reduces passing marks for MBBS students:
The Undergraduate Medical Education Board of the National Medical Commission (NMC) implemented a modification in the Competency-Based Medical Education Regulation 2023 (CBME 2023) guidelines on September 1, 2023. In this way, the board has reduced the passing criteria for MBBS subjects with two papers to 40 per cent.
The outbreak of H9N2 and clusters of respiratory illnesses in children in China:
A meeting was held under the chairmanship of DGHS to discuss the preparedness measures against human cases of Avian Influenza in the country against the backdrop of a human case of H9N2 (Avian influenza virus) in October 2023 in China that was reported to the World Health Organisation (WHO). The need for strengthening surveillance among the human, animal husbandry, and wildlife sectors and improving coordination was recognised.
NMC’s new rule for NEET UG Eligibility: Candidates with biology or Biotech as additional can now become doctors:
In November 2023, the National Medical Commission (NMC) stated in a public notification that students who studied physics, chemistry, biology, or biotechnology in addition to English in class 12 from duly recognised boards will be eligible to take the NEET-UG exam. This decision will apply to students whose applications were previously denied. Regulation 11(b) provides that candidates who have passed 10+2 or its equivalent with the subjects of physics, chemistry, biology/biotechnology, and English shall be eligible to appear in NEET-UG.
The Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra was launched by the Prime Minister on November 15, 2023, from Khunti, Jharkhand, to saturate the benefits of central government schemes across the nation. By December, over one crore Ayushman Cards had been created under the ongoing Viksit Bharat Sankalp Yatra, with the cumulative footfall reaching 1,31,66,365 in 79,487 health camps conducted in 3,462 gram panchayats and urban local bodies.
Even though the Indian healthcare industry saw major developments, the country also witnessed several setbacks with the emergence of new diseases.
The first case of JN.1, a subvariant of COVID-19, was reported from Kerala as part of the ongoing routine surveillance by INSACOG:
The case was detected in an RT-PCR-positive sample from Karakulam, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, on December 8, 2023. The Union Health Ministry emphasised the need for maintaining a state of constant vigil over the COVID situation in the country.
However, the future of the Indian healthcare industry looks promising. India is said to witness many developments in the healthcare industry in 2023 that will place India as a top player in the global healthcare sector in 2024.
Achieving the goals under the Global Initiative on Digital Health:
The WHO and the G20 India presidency announced a new Global Initiative on Digital Health (GIDH) at the Health Minister’s Meeting of the G20 Summit, hosted by the Government of India. Digital health was emphasised as an accelerator to advance health outcomes towards achieving universal health coverage and the health-related Sustainable Development Goals by 2030. The initiative underlined increasing technical and financial support for the implementation of the Global Strategy on Digital Health 2020–2025 and its next phase.
Advancements in the Health IT and MedTech industry:
The year 2024 is slated to redefine the landscape of the Indian healthcare and pharmaceutical industry. This transformation will be marked by innovative advancements in AI, IoT, big data analytics, and more, poised to redefine patient care, drug development, and operational efficiency. The technological developments could have the power to transform drug development, disease diagnosis, treatment planning, and patient care management. Swift and precise data analysis will enhance diagnostics, identify medical image patterns, and personalise treatment plans, leading to earlier disease detection and reduced adverse reactions.
