Bhubaneswar: During the financial years 2024-25 and 2025-26, Odisha allocated Rs 7,915.22 crore for the National Health Mission (NHM), Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Jadhav, disclosed in the Lok Sabha on Friday.
Responding to a query from Baragada MP Pradeep Purohit, Jadhav reported that the Central Government disbursed Rs 3,677.50 crore to Odisha under the NHM across the two fiscal years.
In the financial year 2024-25, Odisha received Rs 1,916.79 crore from the Centre, while the reported expenditure was Rs 3,585.01 crore. For the subsequent year, 2025-26, the Central allocation was Rs 1,760.71 crore, against which the state’s expenditure reached Rs 4,330.21 crore.
The ministry emphasized that the amounts released by the Centre are in the form of grants and do not account for the State’s contributions.
Jadhav explained that the management of public health and hospitals falls primarily under the jurisdiction of the States, which are responsible for enhancing their public healthcare systems, including infrastructure, personnel, and service delivery.
Nevertheless, the Central Government offers both technical and financial support to States like Odisha through NHM based on proposals submitted in Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs). Approvals are granted via Records of Proceedings (RoPs), contingent on established criteria and resource availability.
The ministry also pointed out the significance of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs) in bolstering primary healthcare services. These centers offer a broad spectrum of services such as the management of non-communicable diseases, maternal and child healthcare, mental health services, oral health, eye and ENT care, and palliative care.
The AAM initiative aims to transition the emphasis in primary healthcare from a largely curative model to one focused on preventive and promotional healthcare at the community level.
To enhance the standard of public health facilities, the government has adopted the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS), which encompass infrastructure, human resources, medications, diagnostics, equipment, quality, and governance.
An IPHS dashboard and an open-source toolkit were introduced in June 2024, enabling health facilities, including AAMs, to self-assess their compliance with the IPHS 2022 standards. These tools are also designed to assist authorities in identifying deficiencies and implementing corrective actions.
The ministry further noted that the execution of NHM initiatives, including infrastructure development, healthcare personnel, and service delivery, is consistently evaluated through review meetings, field inspections, mid-term evaluations, and Common Review Missions.
Healthcare facilities in districts such as Baragada and Jharsuguda are also integrated into the Health Dynamics of India (HDI) 2023-24 assessment framework, as stated by the ministry.
