The National Action Plan on Climate Change and Human Health (NAPCCHH) is a concept/plan prepared by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) to strengthen India's healthcare services against the adverse impacts of climate change. Its origin traces back to 2015, when India broadened its national response to climate change to include a dedicated "Health" mission. The NAPCCHH was formally prepared in 2018 to address the problem of increasing Climate Sensitive Diseases (CSDs), such as air pollution-related, heat-related, water-borne, and vector-borne illnesses.
The plan's implementation arm is the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH), which is a scheme/programme officially approved by the MoHFW under the National Health Mission (NHM) in February 2019. This distinction clarifies the recent change: the NAPCCHH was the foundational document prepared in 2018, while the NPCCHH is the operational programme approved in 2019.
The mechanism of the NPCCHH focuses on three key areas: air pollution, heat-related illnesses, and the creation of green and climate-resilient healthcare facilities. It works by strengthening surveillance for conditions like Acute Respiratory Illnesses (ARI) and Heat Related Illnesses (HRI). A key provision is the development of State Action Plans for Climate Change and Human Health (SAPCCHH) to tailor health adaptation plans to diverse geo-climatic conditions across the country. The programme connects to the National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC), which is responsible for incorporating its principles into the revision of Indian Public Health Service Guidelines.