The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) is a ministry of the Government of India, serving as the apex body responsible for formulating, implementing, and monitoring national health policy and all government programs related to public health, medical education, and family welfare. It was initially established as the Ministry of Health in 1947, following India's independence, to address the nation's health and well-being. The ministry's scope expanded, and it was renamed the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 1950 to reflect its broader responsibilities, including family planning.
The MoHFW works by developing comprehensive health policies, rolling out national health programs, and providing regulatory oversight for the healthcare sector. Its mechanism involves coordinating with state governments and implementing major schemes like the National Health Mission (NHM), launched in 2013, which aims for universal access to equitable and affordable healthcare. A key provision is the Ayushman Bharat scheme, launched in 2018, which includes the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY), providing a health cover of ₹5 lakh per family per year for hospitalization to over 10 crore low-income families.
The MoHFW connects to several related institutions and concepts, such as the National Medical Commission (NMC), which regulates medical education, and the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), which implements the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006. A significant recent change is the focus on digital health, exemplified by the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM), launched in September 2021, which aims to create an online platform for interoperable health data and an Electronic Health Record (EHR) for every citizen. Furthermore, the ministry has been instrumental in transforming existing Sub-Health Centres and Primary Health Centres into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (formerly Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres) to deliver a comprehensive package of primary healthcare services. The ministry also publishes the Indian Pharmacopoeia through the Indian Pharmacopoeia Commission (IPC) for setting drug standards.