The Centre has said that all public healthcare facilities across the country have now been assessed under the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS), marking a major step towards improving the quality of healthcare services in rural and underserved areas. According to the government, nearly two-thirds of these facilities have already scored above 50 per cent in the quality assessment.

In a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Shri Prataprao Jadhav, said that while public health and hospitals are primarily the responsibility of states and Union Territories, the Centre continues to provide technical and financial support under the National Health Mission (NHM) to strengthen healthcare infrastructure in rural and remote regions.

The Minister said states receive support based on their Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs), with approvals granted through Records of Proceedings (RoPs) in line with available resources and prescribed norms. States are expected to ensure that Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) are fully functional with adequate doctors, specialists, paramedical staff, medicines, equipment and diagnostic services as per the Indian Public Health Standards.

To monitor the quality of healthcare services, the Ministry launched an open-source IPHS toolkit and a web-based dashboard in June 2024. The digital platform enables public health facilities, including Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, to carry out self-assessments and provides real-time monitoring of compliance with IPHS 2022 standards. As of June 26, 2026, all public health facilities in the country have completed their assessments, with 64 per cent securing scores above 50 per cent.

The government said it is also strengthening emergency healthcare services in rural areas by supporting the recruitment of healthcare workers, upgrading infrastructure, ensuring the availability of essential medicines, diagnostics and medical equipment, and expanding Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. Other initiatives include 24x7 health services, First Referral Units, the Free Drugs Service Initiative, the Free Diagnostics Service Initiative, the Biomedical Equipment Maintenance and Management Programme, and quality improvement measures under the National Quality Assurance Standards.

The Minister highlighted that the Free Diagnostics Service Initiative has significantly improved access to laboratory and radiology services while reducing out-of-pocket healthcare expenses for patients. Under the programme, diagnostic tests are provided free of cost across all levels of public health facilities, ranging from 14 tests at Sub Centres to 134 tests at District Hospitals.

The government is also focusing on improving maternal healthcare through the National Health Mission. Comprehensive services such as antenatal care, institutional deliveries, skilled birth attendance, emergency obstetric care, Caesarean sections where required, postnatal care, referral transport and treatment of pregnancy-related complications are being provided. Financial and healthcare support under the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) and Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is aimed at ensuring safe motherhood and reducing maternal and newborn deaths.

The Centre said these initiatives are intended to improve the quality, accessibility and affordability of healthcare services, particularly for people living in rural and underserved parts of the country.