Lok Sabha Question No. 71 (STARRED), answered on 2024-07-26
Subject: Free Diagnostics Services
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Dr. Hemant Vishnu Savara

## GOVERNMENT OFINDIA

## MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE

## LOKSABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 71 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 26 TH JULY, 2024

## FREE DIAGNOSTICS SERVICES

## *71 DR. HEMANT VISHNU SAVARA:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has started Free Diagnostics Service in the country;
- (b) if so, the details and purpose thereof;
- (c) the details of the publicity of operational guidelines for the Free Diagnostics Services Initiative to the States/UTs especially in tribal districts of country like Palghar District in Maharashtra and the highlights of essential guidelines; and
- (d) the details of the funds approved in this regard during the last three years?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI JAGAT PRAKASH NADDA)

(a) to (d) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 71 FOR 26 TH JULY, 2024

(a) & (b): The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare had launched the 'Free Diagnostics Service Initiative' (FDSI) programme under the National Health Mission (NHM) in 2015. The purpose of FDSI is to provide an expanded range of accessible and affordable pathological and radiological diagnostics services closer to the community free of cost at all levels of public health facilities thereby reducing the Out Of Pocket Expenditure (OOPE) on healthcare for all including the tribal population.

(c) : The Free Diagnostic Service Initiative operational guidelines were shared with the States/UTs in July 2015. Subsequently, in 2019, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched a guidance document for implementing laboratory services. The guidelines were disseminated to the States/UTs in August 2019. The FDSI operational guidelines are hosted on the website of National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC) under the Healthcare Technology tab which is accessible to all States/UTs and can be downloaded from the link https://www.nhsrcindia.org/sites/default/files/2021-07/Guidance\_document\_for\_Free \_Laboratory\_Services.pdf

The State of Maharashtra has implemented the FDSI program through hybrid mode i.e. In-house as well as Public Private Partnership (PPP) mode. The State has outsourced the tests from Public Health Facilities to HLL Lifecare Limited (Hindlabs) in all the districts including Palghar.

Further, under NHM there is provision of Medical Mobile Unit (MMU) for the areas with limited or a complete lack of access to health care services such as hilly/desert/tribal areas. The MMUs are equipped with the basic drugs and diagnostic services to provide primary care services. There is provision of 2 MMUs per district in plains and 4 MMUs per district in tribal/hilly/hard to reach areas. This is further relaxed to 10 MMUs per district in Particularly Vulnerable Tribal Groups (PVTG) areas under Pradhan Mantri Janjati Adivasi Nyaya Maha Abhiyan (PM JANMAN).

(d): The details of the budget approved for the last three years for FDSI programme under the NHM is as follows:

| Year    |   Budget Approved (Rs. in crore) |
|---------|----------------------------------|
| 2021-22 |                          1546.88 |
| 2022-23 |                          1974.57 |
| 2023-24 |                          2004.19 |

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