National Health Mission 2024: Targeting 95% Coverage by 2026, Budget, Challenges, and Potential Impact on Disease Prevention

The expansion of health services in India is progressing rapidly under the National Health Mission launched in 2024. The scheme aims to increase primary care access to 95 percent in rural and urban areas by 2026, thereby reducing patient treatment time and improving life expectancy. The government has set up the establishment of 12,000 new health centres, recruitment of 8,500 health workers, and integrated roll-out of digital health records system to achieve this target. Experts believe that these initiatives will lead to significant progress in disease prevention and health education.

The annual budget for the National Health Mission has been set at Rs 1.8 trillion in 2024-2025, of which 55 per cent is allocated to construction of rural health facilities and equipment acquisition. The remaining funds are 30 percent earmarked for digital health platforms, 10 percent for human resource development, and 5 percent for public awareness campaigns. The Finance Ministry has made this budget public through the National Health Finance Portal for transparent monitoring, enabling real-time tracking of the actual status of expenditure at both the state and central levels.

Land acquisition, local administrative permissions, and supply chain disruptions are becoming major hurdles in the construction process of new health centres. Poor road conditions and irregular power supply, especially in the northeastern states, have extended the construction timeline from 12 months to 18 months. Additionally, only 40 percent of the 8,500 health workers currently have completed the required IT training in integration of the digital records system, increasing the potential for errors in data entry. To solve these problems, the Center has announced to set up a special task force by mid-2025.

In the first two years, the National Health Mission has increased primary screening coverage of type‑2 diabetes, hypertension, and tuberculosis to 68 percent, 72 percent, and 65 percent, respectively. According to the data, an overall 12 percent decline in mortality from these three major diseases is expected by the end of 2025, while maternal and infant mortality rates are expected to decline by 9 percent and 11 percent, respectively. This improvement is being linked to 1,200 active units of mobile health units and 4,500 hours of weekly utilization of tele‑medicine connections in rural areas.

Going forward, the government plans to implement the electronic prescription system in all public hospitals by 2027 and deploy 10,000 additional health workers at the rural level. This strategy will not only enhance the quality of patient care, but also strengthen the credibility of health data, helping policy makers make accurate decisions. With the successful implementation of these initiatives, India is expected to take a strong step towards 'Health for All' under the World Health Organization's 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.