India renews Commitment to Healthy Ageing at 78th Session of the WHO Regional Committee of South-East Asia

India renews Commitment to Healthy Ageing at 78th Session of the WHO Regional Committee of South-East Asia

Smt. Anupriya Singh Patel, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, represented India at the Ministerial Roundtable of the 78^th Session of the WHO Regional Committee of South-East Asia, held in Colombo during 13-15 October, 2025. During the Ministerial Meeting, the deliberations were centred around the theme “Healthy Ageing through strengthened primary health care.”   

India reaffirmed its continued commitment to promoting Healthy Ageing through strengthened Primary Healthcare, based on a comprehensive and people-centric system for the elderly.

Smt. Patel highlighted that with 153 million citizens aged 60 years and above, India is witnessing a major demographic transition and to ensure that elderly receive equitable, accessible and affordable health care services tailored to their needs, Government of India has taken several important measures.

The National Programme for Healthcare of the Elderly (NPHCE), which is now operational in 92% of districts, forms the cornerstone of India’s efforts to deliver preventive, promotive, curative and rehabilitative services for senior citizens through a primary healthcare approach. The programme integrates home, community and facility-based interventions, along with structured caregiver training to enable dignified ageing within families and communities.

Further strengthening financial protection of the elderly population, the Ayushman Bharat’s Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB–PMJAY) has been expanded to cover all citizens aged 70 years and above, irrespective of income. This will benefit nearly 60 million elderly persons across 45 million families, providing cashless hospital care of up to ₹5 lakh per family per year in both public and empanelled private hospitals.

The Union Minister also highlighted the establishment of the two National Centres of Ageing (NCAs) — one at All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, and another at Madras Medical College, Chennai and 17 Regional Geriatric Centres established across the country, serving as hubs for clinical excellence, capacity building, research, and policy guidance. In addition, during the recent campaign ‘Swasth Nari, Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan’ which translates to “Healthy Women, Empowered Families’ millions of elderly individuals, particularly elderly women, have been screened for non-communicable and age-related conditions such as hypertension, diabetes and cancers.

At the regional roundtable, India called for enhanced regional cooperation among WHO South-East Asia member states to strengthen the integration of Primary Health Care and Long-Term Care (PHC–LTC). India proposed three key areas of collaboration:

Reaffirming India’s alignment with the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–2030), the Union Minister emphasized that ageing must be viewed as an opportunity for inclusive growth and social transformation. “Guided by the vision of the Hon’ble Prime Minister ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas, Sabka Prayas’, India remains committed to ensuring that every stage of life, including old age, is lived with dignity, security and care”, she stated.

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