Health

India entered the last decade with too few doctors and thin public health infrastructure. A sustained expansion followed: the number of medical colleges doubled from 387 in 2013-14 to 808 in 2025-26, MBBS seats grew from about 51,000 to about 1,23,700, and the number of AIIMS institutions rose from 7 to more than 20. In 2018, Ayushman Bharat launched a two-part push — neighbourhood health centres plus a large public health-insurance scheme.

Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY is among the world's largest health-assurance schemes, offering cover of up to ₹5 lakh per family a year; about 55 crore people in 12 crore families are eligible, and all citizens aged 70 and above were added in 2024. More than 1.8 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (1,82,944 by December 2025; the former health & wellness centres) now provide primary care and screening close to home, and new AIIMS and medical colleges have spread specialist care into states that had little of it before.

India runs a mixed health system: a public network of sub-centres, primary health centres and district hospitals (free or nearly free), alongside a large private sector that treats most outpatient illness, much of it paid out of pocket (households still bore 43.4% of total health spending in 2022-23, down from 64.2% in 2013-14). The decade's shift has been to strengthen the base — converting sub-centres into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (wellness centres) for primary care and screening — and to protect families from ruinous hospital bills through the PM-JAY insurance scheme.

The gains are real: life expectancy has risen to about 70.6 years (2020-24), infant and maternal mortality have fallen sharply (IMR from 39 in 2014 to 24 in 2024; MMR from 130 in 2014-16 to 87 in 2022-24), and full immunisation has climbed (87.1% in NFHS-6). The next step is turning wider coverage into better care — raising public health spending (government health spending was 1.43% of GDP in 2022-23, short of the National Health Policy goal of 2.5% by 2025), fixing the rural doctor shortage, and tackling the rising burden of diabetes, heart disease and mental health.

387 → 808 medical colleges (2013-14→2025-26). 7 → 20+ AIIMS. ~51,000 → ~1,23,700 MBBS seats. ~55 crore people eligible under PM-JAY. 1,82,944 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (December 2025). 70.6 years life expectancy (2020-24). Sources: Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, NMC, NHA, SRS, via PIB.