Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (India)

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The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is an Indian government ministry charged with health policy in India. It is also responsible for all government programs relating to family planning in India.

The Minister of Health and Family Welfare holds cabinet rank as a member of the Council of Ministers. The current minister is Shri. Ghulam Nabi Azad, who is assisted by a Minister of States for Health and Family Welfare, Shri. Abu Hasem Khan Choudhury & Shri. S. Gandhiselvan.

The ministry is composed of four departments - Department of Health & Family Welfare, Department of Health Research, Department of AIDS Control and Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH). It regularly publishes the Indian Pharmacopoeia since 1955 through Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) an autonomous body under the ministry for setting of standards for drugs, pharmaceuticals and healthcare devices and technologies in India.

Department of Health

The Department of Health deals with health care, including awareness campaigns, immunization campaigns, preventive medicine, and public health. Bodies under the administrative control of this department are:

• National AIDS Control Organisation (NACO) (see HIV/AIDS in India)
• 13 National Health Programmes
  • National AIDS Control Programme (AIDS)
  • National Cancer Control Programme (cancer)
  • National Filaria Control Programme (filariasis)
  • National Iodine Deficiency Disorders Control Programme (iodine deficiency)
  • National Leprosy Eradication Programme (leprosy)
  • National Mental Health Programme (mental health)
  • National Programme for Control of Blindness (blindness)
  • National Programme for Prevention and Control of Deafness (deafness)
  • National Tobacco Control Programme (tobacco control)
  • National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) (vector-born disease)
  • Pilot Programme on Prevention and Control of Diabetes, CVD and Stroke (diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke)
  • Revised National TB Control Programme (tuberculosis)
  • Universal Immunization Programme
• Medical Council of India
• Dental Council of India
• Pharmacy Council of India
• Indian Nursing Council
• All India Institute of Speech and Hearing (AIISH), Mysore
• All India Institute of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AIIPMR), Mumbai
• Hospital Services Consultancy Corporation Limited (HSCC)
• Food Safety and Standards Authority of India

Department of Family Welfare

The Department of Family Welfare (FW) is responsible for aspects relating to family welfare, especially in reproductive health, maternal health, pediatrics, information, education and communications; cooperation with NGOs and international aid groups; and rural health services. The Department of Family Welfare is responsible for:

• 18 Population Research Centres (PRCs) at six universities and six other institutions across 17 states
• National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW), South Delhi
• International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai
• Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI), Lucknow
• Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), New Delhi - founded in 1911, it is one of the oldest medical research bodies in the world

Department of AYUSH

Main article: AYUSH

The Department of Ayurveda, Yoga and Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH) deals with ayurveda (Indian traditional medicine), and other yoga, naturopathy, unani, siddha, and homoeopathy, and other alternative medicine systems.

The department was established in March 1995 as the Department of Indian Systems of Medicines and Homoeopathy (ISM&H).The department is charged with upholding educational standards in the Indian Systems of Medicines and Homoeopathy colleges, strengthening research, promoting the cultivation of medicinal plants used, and working on Pharmacopoeia standards. Bodies under the control of the Department of AYUSH are:

• Various research councils
  • Central Council for Research in Ayurveda and Siddha (CCRAS)
  • Central Council for Research in Unani Medicine (CCRUM)
  • Central Council for Research in Homoeopathy (CCRH)
  • Central Council for Research in Yoga and Naturopathy (CCRYN)
• Several educational institutions:
  • National Institute of Ayurveda, Jaipur (NIA)
  • National Institute of Siddha, Chennai (NIS)
  • National Institute of Homoeopathy, Kolkata (NIH)
  • National Institute of Naturopathy, Pune (NIN)
  • National Institute of Unani Medicine, Bangalore (NIUM)
  • Institute of Post Graduate Teaching and Research in Ayurveda, Jamnagar,Gujarat (IPGTR)
  • Rashtriya Ayurveda Vidyapeeth, New Delhi (RAV)
  • Morarji Desai National Institute of Yoga, New Delhi (MDNIY)
• Indian Medicine Pharmaceutical Corporation Limited (IMPCL), Mohan, Uttaranchal (a public sector undertaking)
• Professional councils
  • Central Council of Homoeopathy (CCH)
  • Central Council of Indian Medicine (CCIM)

External links

• Official website
• Department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy (AYUSH), Official website