Permanent Mission of India
New York
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4^th High Level Meeting on prevention & control of NCD and the promotion
of mental health and wellbeing

Equity and Integration: Transforming lives and livelihoods through leadership and action on non-communicable diseases and the promotion of mental health and wellbeing

Statement by Smt. Punya Salila, Secretary (Ministry of Health & Family Welfare)
25 September, 2025

Excellencies,

It is an honour to address this august gathering and reaffirm India’s strong commitment to addressing non-communicable diseases and promoting mental health and wellbeing.

NCDs pose a significant burden on health systems and economies globally and for India.

In view of shifting disease profiles of a highly diverse & rapidly urbanising population, India has a robust National Programme for Prevention and Control of NCDs as a part of its National Health Policy.

 Since 2017, INDIA has screened over 512 million individuals, enabling the timely diagnosis and management of more than 65 million cases for various NCDs. These services are delivered through our network of over 1,79,000 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs- the community health and wellness centres, bringing care to even the most remote and underserved populations. India has also undertaken concrete steps to ensure access to affordable medicines and diagnostics, particularly for NCDs and cancer, thereby significantly reducing out-of-pocket expenditure. Specialised services such as the National Dialysis Programme and decentralised chemotherapy Centres are now being made available in all our districts. We also have the world’s largest health assurance programme for tertiary care.

Excellencies,

Prevention remains at the core of our strategy with a strong focus on promoting healthy behaviours and reducing risk factors. We have launched campaigns such as Fit India Movement and Eat Right India, together with community initiatives promoting yoga and physical activity. These directly address lifestyle risk factors at the community level.

Hon’ble Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi, has given a clarion call to reduce obesity by cutting down edible oil consumption by 10%, and lower dietary salt & sugar intake, underscoring the importance of adopting healthier lifestyles.

On 17th September 2025, India launched the “Healthy Woman, Empowered Family Campaign” (Swasth Nari Sashakt Parivar Abhiyaan), with the objective to ensure last-mile delivery of health services for women and adolescent girls. In this intensified campaign, special drives have been launched for screening of anaemia, hypertension, diabetes, sickle cell anaemia, reproductive health and mental health issues and common cancers such as oral, breast, and cervical cancer.

Under this intensified campaign, over the last 7 days, nearly 25 million women have been screened.

Excellencies, India remains firmly committed to reducing the burden of NCDs and promoting mental health & well-being. We stand ready to collaborate with all partners to accelerate progress towards Sustainable Development Goals and build a healthier, more resilient global community.

Thank you.