WHO Chief Praises India’s Gains in Maternal, Child Health and NCD Care

World Health Organization Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has praised India’s progress in maternal and child health and in tackling noncommunicable diseases, highlighting the expansion of primary healthcare, community health workers and screening for hypertension, diabetes and common cancers.

Tedros met Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda during the 79th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia in Dili, Timor-Leste.

Following the meeting, the WHO chief said India had recorded “impressive health gains”, particularly in maternal and child health and the fight against noncommunicable diseases.

The meeting came as WHO formally recognised India for two major public-health achievements during the regional gathering.

WHO Recognises India for Two Public-Health Achievements

India received recognition for sustaining the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus for a decade and for its progress in bringing people with hypertension and diabetes under standardised treatment through primary healthcare.

WHO said India has placed more than 94 million people with hypertension and diabetes on protocol-based management, exceeding its national target of 75 million.

The organisation described this as important progress under the regional SEAHEARTS initiative, which seeks to expand standardised prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease and diabetes through primary healthcare.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare also confirmed that India received two WHO South-East Asia Regional awards at the meeting, citing sustained leadership in maternal health and noncommunicable disease management.

A Decade Without Maternal and Neonatal Tetanus as a Public-Health Problem

India was among nine countries in the WHO South-East Asia Region recognised for maintaining the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus for ten years following validation.

WHO attributed the regional achievement to sustained immunisation, safe-delivery practices and continued surveillance.

Maternal and neonatal tetanus is considered eliminated as a public-health problem when the disease falls below the WHO threshold in every district. Maintaining that status requires continued vaccination of women and children, clean delivery practices and effective disease surveillance.

India’s continued elimination therefore reflects not a one-time campaign but the maintenance of vaccination and maternal-health systems over an extended period.

Primary Healthcare Takes on a Larger NCD Role

Tedros also highlighted the role of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in moving screening and treatment for chronic diseases closer to communities.

The centres provide comprehensive primary healthcare covering reproductive and child health, communicable diseases, noncommunicable diseases, mental health, elderly care and other services.

While Tedros referred to around 160,000 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs in his September 9 remarks, the latest Government of India data reports that more than 1.86 lakh centres were functional nationwide as of August 12, 2026.

This expanding network is particularly important for diseases such as hypertension and diabetes, which often require early detection and long-term follow-up rather than hospital-based treatment alone.

WHO’s recognition of India for placing more than 94 million people under protocol-based management reflects the scale at which this approach is now being implemented.

ASHA Workers Remain Central to Community Healthcare

The WHO Director-General also praised India’s Accredited Social Health Activists, or ASHA workers, describing them as an example of healthcare reaching people within their communities.

ASHAs serve as a link between households and the public-health system, particularly in maternal and child health, immunisation and community-level health programmes.

Tedros specifically highlighted their role in supporting mothers and children from pregnancy through adolescence.

Their importance has grown as India has expanded community screening and follow-up for chronic diseases alongside traditional maternal and child-health responsibilities.

Maternal and Child Mortality Continue to Decline

Tedros linked the expansion of immunisation, institutional deliveries and community health services with continued reductions in maternal and child mortality.

India has recorded substantial improvements over the past decade, although figures for institutional delivery can differ depending on the dataset and reporting period.

The broader trend is clear: more women are giving birth in health facilities, access to skilled care has expanded and maternal and child mortality indicators have continued to improve.

The Health Ministry has also linked these gains to expansion of health infrastructure, frontline health workers and greater availability of maternal and newborn care.

TB Elimination Also Discussed

The meeting between Nadda and Tedros extended beyond maternal health and NCDs.

The two discussed India’s efforts to eliminate tuberculosis, an area in which the country continues to carry a large share of the global disease burden.

At the same WHO regional meeting, South-East Asian countries agreed to intensify efforts to close gaps in TB diagnosis, prevention and treatment and improve financial protection for affected families.

India has been expanding screening, molecular diagnostics, treatment and community-based programmes under the National Tuberculosis Elimination Programme.

Medical Regulation and Pandemic Agreement Talks

Nadda and Tedros also discussed strengthening the regulation of medical products and India’s wider engagement with WHO.

Another subject was the continuing negotiation of the Pathogen Access and Benefit Sharing system under the WHO Pandemic Agreement.

The proposed mechanism concerns how pathogens and associated information would be shared internationally and how countries would gain access to resulting vaccines, medicines and other health products during future health emergencies.

India’s cooperation with WHO on traditional medicine was also discussed.

WHO Recognition Comes During RC79

The health discussions took place during the 79th WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia, held in Dili from September 7–10.

The Regional Committee is WHO’s principal governing body for South-East Asia and brings together health ministers and senior representatives from member countries to set regional priorities.

This year’s meeting addressed healthcare workforce shortages, specialised care, tuberculosis and several disease-elimination achievements across the region.

India’s two recognitions stand out because they cover two very different health challenges: maintaining the elimination of an infectious disease affecting mothers and newborns, and building a population-scale system for managing chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes.

Together, they point to a broader transition in India’s public-health system — maintaining traditional maternal, child and infectious-disease programmes while increasingly using primary healthcare networks to confront the rapidly growing burden of noncommunicable diseases.

---

References

World Health Organization, South-East Asia — September 8, 2026
WHO South-East Asia Region Recognizes Major Public Health Achievements Across Member States

Press Information Bureau / Ministry of Health and Family Welfare — September 8, 2026
WHO Recognises India’s Sustained Leadership in Maternal Health and Noncommunicable Disease Management; India Honoured With Two WHO South-East Asia Regional Awards

WHO Director-General Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus — September 9, 2026
Official statement following meeting with Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda during RC79.

Press Information Bureau / Ministry of Health and Family Welfare — August 12, 2026
Official national healthcare update reporting more than 1.86 lakh functional Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

---