New Delhi, Oct 9 : The Union government is focused on boosting comprehensive healthcare in the country with early detection and better access, said Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Thursday.

Speaking at the two-day FICCI HEAL 2025 event here, the health minister highlighted the change in healthcare policy in the country in the last decade.

The Union Minister said that India developed a new health policy in 2017 after waiting since 1998, when it was last developed.

'Previously, we were thinking in terms of only curative health care. It was in 2017 that we started thinking about comprehensive health care. We need preventive health care and early detection. So, with this, we developed a comprehensive health policy,' Nadda said.

'Under the comprehensive health policy, we developed preventive, promotive, palliative, curative, and geriatric healthcare, and an important part was early detection. To boost accessibility, we expanded the base of health care, and for that, we developed 1.7 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandir,' he added.

Further, the Minister shared how boosting accessibility, along with increasing the ASHA workforce, led to inclusive healthcare, enhancing maternal and child health.

According to the National Family Health Survey, India now has about 90 per cent institutional deliveries, from 79 per cent earlier.

He mentioned improvements seen in the Maternal Mortality Ratio. As per the Sample Registration System (SRS), it was 130 per lakh child births, and now it is reduced to 88 per lakh live births.

'There is a reduction of 42 points, and all this has taken place in just 10 years,' the Minister said.

He also expressed happiness and stated that the Ayushman Bharat scheme had become the world's largest health coverage programme, covering more than 40 per cent of the Indian population with a 5 lakh rupees health coverage.

"World's largest health coverage program covering over 62 crore people with Rs 5 lakh health cover and now includes special provisions for those over the age of 70..."

He also emphasised the Jan Aushadi scheme, which provides quality medicines at low prices, as well as the reduction of GST on medicines and health insurance, among others.

/IANS