Nadda Highlights Ayushman Bharat, Jan Aushadhi Gains on World Patient Safety Day

Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda on Thursday addressed a World Patient Safety Day 2026 event at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences (ABVIMS) and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital in New Delhi, where a Quality & Safety Handbook was released to strengthen patient safety practices.

The theme for this year's observance, "Safe care for noncommunicable diseases", with the slogan "Safe care for life!", focuses on safe, coordinated and continuous care for people living with noncommunicable diseases.

Speaking at the event, Nadda said patient safety is a critical component of healthcare and that delivery must go beyond treatment to ensure every patient receives safe, high-quality, dignified and patient-centric care. He noted that 17 September brings together public service, patient safety and cleanliness, and extended his greetings to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his birthday.

The minister said patient safety depends on collective effort by doctors, nurses, paramedical professionals, technicians, administrative staff and other health workers, along with patients and their attendants. Safety protocols, correct diagnosis, appropriate treatment and infection-prevention measures should not be compromised for speed, he added.

Linking hygiene to safety, Nadda said cleanliness has a direct bearing on infection prevention in hospitals. He referred to the Swachhata movement and said around 11 crore toilets built over the past decade have strengthened sanitation infrastructure, contributing to dignity and better living conditions, and noted a significant decline in diarrhoeal disease. "A clean hospital is not merely a well-maintained hospital, but also a safer hospital," he said, calling for collective responsibility on hand hygiene, waste disposal and infection-control protocols.

On institutional quality assurance, the minister said National Quality Assurance Standards certification, introduced in 2015, now covers 60,000 government health facilities, with efforts underway to expand coverage to around 2 lakh institutions.

Highlighting financial protection, Nadda said Ayushman Bharat provides eligible beneficiaries health coverage of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year for secondary and tertiary care. About 11.5 crore beneficiaries have received treatment worth around ₹1.6 lakh crore under the scheme, he said, describing it as one of the world's largest health coverage programmes.

On the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana, he said more than 20,000 Jan Aushadhi Kendras have been set up, with plans to expand to around 25,000 outlets while widening the range of medicines and ensuring timely availability and quality. Cumulative savings to citizens through Jan Aushadhi are estimated at around ₹45,000 crore, he said, also pointing to substantial savings on certain cancer medicines.

Nadda said out-of-pocket expenditure on healthcare has declined from around 62 per cent of total health expenditure in 2014 to around 43 per cent, with continued efforts to reduce the financial burden on families.

He also stressed preventive healthcare, early detection and continuity of care, citing strengthened vaccination, maternal and child health services and screening for noncommunicable diseases. Vaccination is being digitally tracked from childhood, with follow-up mechanisms to ensure completion, he said. Screening for diabetes, hypertension and cancers including oral, cervical and breast cancer has covered tens of crores of people.

Emphasising the broader meaning of patient safety, the minister said patients bring not only illness but also anxiety, hope and expectations, and that timely information, guidance, reassurance and support from healthcare personnel are integral to the patient experience. He congratulated ABVIMS and Dr. RML Hospital for their initiatives, including systematic audits, training, continuous monitoring and institutional learning.