World Patient Safety Day 2026: Health Minister J.P. Nadda Releases 'Quality and Safety Handbook' at Dr. RML Hospital
Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda emphasized the importance of patient safety and hygiene on World Patient Safety Day, while sharing the achievements of the Ayushman Bharat and Jan Aushadhi schemes.
Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Shri J.P. Nadda, addressed a program on the occasion of 'World Patient Safety Day 2026' at the Atal Bihari Vajpayee Institute of Medical Sciences (ABVIMS) and Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia (RML) Hospital in New Delhi. During the event, he released the 'Quality and Safety Handbook' aimed at improving patient safety practices. The theme for World Patient Safety Day 2026 is "Safe Care for Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)" with the slogan "Safe Care for Life!"
Addressing the gathering, Shri Nadda stated that the objective of healthcare should not be limited to treatment alone, but must ensure that every patient receives safe, high-quality, and dignified care. He emphasized that collective efforts from doctors, nurses, paramedical staff, and the families of patients are essential for patient safety. He cautioned that safety protocols must not be compromised in the rush of medical procedures.
The Health Minister highlighted the deep connection between hygiene and hospital safety, asserting that a clean hospital is a safe hospital. He informed that under the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification launched in 2015, 60,000 government health centers have been certified so far, with a target to increase this number to 2 lakh.
Mentioning the achievements of government schemes, Shri Nadda noted that approximately 11.5 crore beneficiaries have received treatment worth about 1.6 lakh crore rupees through the Ayushman Bharat scheme. Additionally, citizens have saved approximately 45,000 crore rupees on medicines through the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana (PMBJP). He stated that the number of Jan Aushadhi centers in the country has exceeded 20,000, with efforts underway to increase this to 25,000.
The Minister also shared that 'out-of-pocket' expenditure on health services, which was around 62 percent in 2014, has now decreased to approximately 43 percent. He further highlighted the digital tracking systems for vaccination and early screening of non-communicable diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and cancer.
On this occasion, Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava and Secretary of the Department of Pharmaceuticals, Shri Manoj Joshi, also shared their views. Smt. Srivastava mentioned that ABVIMS and Dr. RML Hospital have achieved NABH accreditation. During the program, Shri Nadda also interacted with beneficiaries of PM-JAY and the Jan Aushadhi project.
To strengthen patient safety at the national level, the Ministry of Health's National Patient Safety Secretariat (NPSS) is working on the 'National Action Plan for Patient Safety (NAPPS) 2030'. This plan focuses on priority areas such as medication, surgery, vaccines, and medical devices.
