The concept of Disease & Health Management in India is primarily institutionalized as a comprehensive public health strategy, most notably through the National Health Mission (NHM). The NHM is a flagship scheme launched by the Government of India in 2013 by subsuming the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), which began in 2005, and the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM). Its core purpose is to achieve universal access to equitable, affordable, and quality healthcare services for the population.
The mechanism of the NHM is structured around three main programmatic components: Health System Strengthening, Reproductive-Maternal-Neonatal-Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A), and the control of Communicable and Non-Communicable Diseases. A key provision is the deployment of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs), who serve as a link between the community and the public health system. Furthermore, the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), launched in 2011, ensures free delivery, including Caesarean sections, and free transport for pregnant women at public health institutions.
Disease surveillance and control are managed by the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), an institute under the Directorate General of Health Services. The NCDC originated as the Central Malaria Bureau in 1909 and was renamed the National Institute of Communicable Diseases (NICD) in 1963, before becoming the NCDC in 2009. It functions as the nodal agency for outbreak investigation and provides technical expertise to states.
This management framework connects directly to the National Health Policy (NHP), with the latest iteration being the NHP 2017, which aims to increase public health expenditure to 2.5% of GDP by 2025. The NHM also works in tandem with the Ayushman Bharat program, which includes the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) for health insurance and the Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWC) for comprehensive primary care. The NHM was recently extended in March 2018 to continue its work until March 2020.