Since 1947, India's healthcare journey has spanned eradication of ancient scourges, the building of premier institutions, and the digital knit-work of services reaching our most remote villages. The post-Independence decades saw the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) established by an Act of Parliament in 1956, creating a national standard for medical education and research. Soon after, the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), rechristened from the pre-Independence IRFA in 1949, drove indigenous science to guide policy and practice. These foundations enabled massive public-health offensives: the Expanded Programme on Immunization (1978) and the Universal Immunization Programme (1985) laid the groundwork for India's smallpox-free status (1977) and, later, WHO's polio-free certification (2014) for the South-East Asia Region with India as a linchpin.
In the 2000s, focused missions like the National Health Mission and game-changers such as Janani Suraksha Yojana accelerated safe motherhood and institutional deliveries. The last decade added financial protection (Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY), nationwide telemedicine (eSanjeevani), and a secure, consent-driven digital health backbone (Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission).
This Independence Day, here are the milestones that explain how far we've come and what still lies ahead.
The Milestones That Changed Indian Health
1. 1949-1956: Strong scientific and clinical pillars-ICMR and AIIMS
Post-Independence, IRFA was renamed the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in 1949, and played a central role in shaping India's research agenda. In 1956, Parliament enacted the AIIMS Act to create AIIMS New Delhi, a model of tertiary care and medical education that later inspired new AIIMS across India. These institutions seeded evidence-based policy and world-class training, crucial in everything from vaccine trials to disease surveillance.
2. 1977-1980: Smallpox disappears from India-global eradication follows
India reported its last smallpox case in 1975; by 1977 the country was smallpox-free, feeding into WHO's 1980 declaration of global eradication-the first human disease ever eliminated. This public-health triumph showcased the power of disease surveillance and vaccination at scale. It proved India could execute complex, last-mile campaigns, knowledge later applied to polio and routine immunization.
India has a scaled up immunization programme that came in handy during the pandemic too
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3. 1978-1985: From EPI to UIP-the world's largest routine immunization system
The Expanded Programme on Immunization (1978) evolved into the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) in 1985, now among the largest in the world, delivering vaccines free of cost under the National Immunization Schedule. UIP conducts millions of sessions annually and protects against 11 vaccine-preventable diseases nationally-building population immunity and cutting child mortality. Today, the UIP targets approximately 2.67 crore newborns and 2.9 crore pregnant women, annually, and has played a key role in eliminating maternal and neonatal tetanus in 2015.
4. 1995-2014: Pulse Polio to Polio-free certification
Launched nationally in 1995, Pulse Polio mobilized health workers to immunize close to 170 million children during each National Immunization Day. In 2014, WHO certified the South-East Asia Region, including India, as polio-free. The programme refined micro-planning, cold-chain management and social mobilization, skills reused during COVID-19 vaccination and other campaigns.
In the last 78 years, India's institutional-delivery rates rose sharply
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5. 2005 onwards: Safe motherhood and institutional deliveries-Janani Suraksha Yojana
Under the National Health Mission, the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) incentivized facility-based childbirth, particularly among low-income women. Over time, India's institutional-delivery rates rose sharply, contributing to declines in maternal and neonatal deaths. India's Maternal Mortality Ratio fell to 97 per 100,000 live births in 2018-20 (SRS Special Bulletin), marking dramatic progress in two decades.
6. Child survival gains: Infant Mortality Rate keeps falling
According to the Sample Registration System (SRS), India's Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) declined to 26 per 1,000 live births in 2022, continuing a multi-year downward trend. Immunization, skilled birth attendance, and better newborn care have been key drivers. Fewer infant deaths reflect stronger primary care, timely vaccines, and better referral systems.
7. 1990s-2020s: Turning the tide on HIV with NACO
The National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) built a surveillance- and evidence-driven response. India's HIV epidemic has remained low-prevalence, with continued declines in new infections and AIDS-related mortality; the 2023 technical estimates and fact sheets summarize the progress and gaps. Successive National AIDS Control Programmes mainstreamed prevention, testing, and free ART, supported by law and guidelines.
8. 2018: Financial protection at scale-Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY
Ayushman Bharat PM-JAY provides cashless hospitalisation cover of INR 5 lakh per entitled family each year, targeting around 55 crore beneficiaries (bottom 40% of the population). By design, it reduces catastrophic health expenditure and widens access to secondary/tertiary care via empanelled public and private hospitals. PM-JAY complements primary-care strengthening at Health & Wellness Centres under the broader Ayushman Bharat umbrella.
Telemedicine has made healthcare accessible to digital India
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9. 2020-present: Telemedicine goes mainstream-eSanjeevani
The MoHFW's free National Telemedicine Service, eSanjeevani, now enables crores of doctor-to-patient and doctor-to-doctor consultations, improving access in rural and remote geographies and decongesting hospitals. Peer-reviewed analyses document its rapidly expanding footprint and potential to ease systemic inequities. Digital OPDs cut travel/time costs, promote early care-seeking, and have become part of routine delivery in many states.
10. 2021-present: The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM)-India's health data rails
The ABDM is building a nationwide, consent-based digital health stack: ABHA (digital health IDs), Health Facility Registry, registries for providers, and interoperable health records. The aim is seamless, privacy-respecting portability of your health history across systems, improving safety and continuity of care. As adoption grows, ABDM can reduce duplicate tests, enable secure referrals, and power data-driven quality improvement. India also issued EHR standards to guide interoperability.
11. Building a culture of donation via NOTTO and transplants
India created a dedicated National Organ & Tissue Transplant Organization (NOTTO) under the DGHS to coordinate organ donation, maintain registries, and standardize practice. The latest initiatives include awareness drives and digital pledge platforms integrated with ABDM. Streamlined systems and citizen pledges can narrow the gap between need and availability of life-saving organs.
The future of Indian healthcare looks bright and promising
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What India's Progress Matters, And How You Can Help
Every citizen of India has the right to access healthcare, and it is equally the duty of every citizen to support the nation's healthcare mission through the following steps.
- Keep immunization on track: Check your family's vaccine status with your nearest health facility; UIP vaccines are free.
- Use digital health responsibly: Create your ABHA and link records only with consent; ABDM is built around privacy and portability.
- Leverage PM-JAY (if eligible): Verify eligibility and hospital networks before planned admissions.
- Adopt tele-OPD when appropriate: eSanjeevani can save time for routine follow-ups and primary care.
- Consider an organ-donor pledge: A few minutes today can save lives tomorrow.
From eradicating smallpox and polio to digitizing health services, India's 78-year arc is a story of scale, science, and steady improvements in survival and financial protection. The next leap, stronger primary care, equitable access, and data-driven quality, will come faster if all of us stay informed, vaccinated, and engaged.
Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for a qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.
Sources: WHO; MoHFW (NHM/UIP, Pulse Polio, EHR, eSanjeevani); AIIMS Act; ICMR; Registrar General of India (SRS); NACO (HIV estimates/factsheets); NHA (PM-JAY); ABDM; NOTTO.
