WHO honours India for sustaining maternal, neonatal tetanus elimination for a decade

India has been recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) for sustaining the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus (MNTE) over the past decade. This achievement has earned India two WHO South-East Asia Regional awards for its sustained efforts in critical areas of public health. The second recognition was for India's strong leadership in addressing non-communicable diseases through primary healthcare. India's public health achievements were recognized at the 79th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia. Union Health Minister J P Nadda received the awards on behalf of the country. Nadda attributed the recognitions to the dedication of India's healthcare workforce, particularly frontline health workers. The WHO had earlier validated India's achievement in eliminating MNTE in April 2015, much ahead of the global target date of December 2015. India has now received the WHO honour for sustaining its efforts to eliminate the public health challenge over the past decade. According to the Union Health Ministry, the recognition reflects India's sustained commitment to strengthening primary healthcare, disease prevention, early detection and effective management of priority health conditions. The Government of India remains committed to advancing Universal Health Coverage through investments in health infrastructure, human resources, primary healthcare, digital health and health system resilience. MNTE is a global public health initiative led by the WHO and its partners to reduce neonatal tetanus cases to fewer than one case per 1,000 live births in every district. In 2023, the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry launched an ambitious initiative to screen and place 75 million people with hypertension or diabetes on standard care by December 2025. The 79th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia was being held in India. Union Health Minister J P Nadda said, "India's public health achievements received significant recognition at the 79th Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East Asia, where I had the honour of receiving WHO South-East Asia Region awards on behalf of the country for sustaining the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus over the past decade, and for India's leadership in tackling noncommunicable diseases through primary health care." Nadda added, "Under the visionary leadership of Hon'ble Prime Minister Shri @narendramodi ji, India has continued to strengthen primary healthcare, expand access to quality services and drive focused action on both communicable and non-communicable diseases, with the resolve to ensure better health outcomes for every citizen." Nadda further said, "These recognitions are a tribute to the dedication of our healthcare workforce, especially our frontline health workers, whose tireless efforts continue to strengthen service delivery, expand access to quality care and improve health outcomes across the country."