- The PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) was launched on October 25, 2021, by the Prime Minister of India from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh.
- It operates under the administrative control of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW).
- With a financial outlay of Rs. 64,180 crore, it is one of the largest pan-India schemes designed to strengthen healthcare infrastructure across the country.
- The mission is planned to be implemented over a period of five years, spanning from the financial year 2021-22 to 2025-26.
- PM-ABHIM functions as an addition to the National Health Mission (NHM), specifically targeting critical gaps in public health infrastructure and pandemic preparedness.
Core Vision and Objectives
- The primary objective is to build a robust public health infrastructure capable of managing future pandemics and localized disease outbreaks without disrupting regular healthcare services.
- It aims to establish a comprehensive surveillance system to track, detect, and control infectious diseases through a decentralized laboratory network.
- The mission specifically targets the expansion of capacity in primary, secondary, and tertiary care health systems, predominantly focusing on critical care and diagnostic services.
Three Major Pillars of PM-ABHIM
Strengthening Primary Care Facilities
- The mission focuses on creating a robust network of health and wellness infrastructure across both rural and urban domains to provide comprehensive primary healthcare.
- Support is extended for the establishment of 17,788 rural Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) situated in 10 high-focus states.
- Furthermore, it mandates the creation of 11,024 urban Health and Wellness Centres across the country to bridge the gap in urban primary healthcare delivery.
Expanding Comprehensive Diagnostics and Treatment
- The scheme establishes comprehensive testing and diagnostic networks at the district level to ensure early detection of diseases.
- It mandates the establishment of Integrated Public Health Labs (IPHLs) in all 730 districts across the country to act as central diagnostic hubs.
- The mission provisions for the creation of exclusive Critical Care Hospital Blocks with capacities ranging from 50 to 100 beds in all districts with a population exceeding five lakhs.
Enhancing Pandemic Research and Institutional Capacity
- A major structural shift under PM-ABHIM is the focus on advanced virology research and a coordinated epidemiological response.
- It aims to establish a national network of surveillance blocks, health emergency operation centers, and specialized research institutes to provide a holistic “One Health” approach.
Key Infrastructure and Surveillance Components
| Component Category | Target Deliverables | Operational Scope |
| Disease Surveillance | 5 New Regional National Centres for Disease Control (NCDC). | Regional level epidemiological tracking and disease intelligence gathering. |
| Metropolitan Surveillance | 20 Metropolitan Health Surveillance Units. | Urban disease tracking and management in highly populated metropolitan hubs. |
| Emergency Operations | 15 Health Emergency Operation Centres (HEOCs). | Coordinated multi-sectoral disaster and epidemic management across states. |
| Mobile Healthcare | 2 Container-based Mobile Hospitals. | Rapid deployment medical facilities equipped for comprehensive emergency care during severe health crises. |
| Specialized Diagnostics | Network of Biosafety Level-3 (BSL-3) Laboratories. | Upgrading 80 viral diagnostic and research labs to handle highly infectious pathogens securely. |
Institutional Network for Research and Development
National Institutes of Virology (NIVs)
- To decentralize viral research and diagnostic capabilities, the mission provisions for the establishment of four new regional National Institutes of Virology.
- These institutes will reduce the national dependency on the primary National Institute of Virology located in Pune during widespread infectious outbreaks.
Expansion of the ICMR Network
- The mission financially and structurally supports the expansion of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) network to conduct advanced epidemiological and genomic research.
- It facilitates the creation of regional research platforms for the World Health Organization (WHO) South East Asia Region, strengthening India’s role in global health security.
National Institution for One Health
- PM-ABHIM mandates the establishment of the National Institution for One Health located in Nagpur, Maharashtra.
- This institution is designed to study and monitor zoonotic diseases, recognizing the critical interconnection between human health, animal health, and environmental ecosystems.
Critical Facts and Trivia for UPSC Prelims
Essential Data Points
- Unlike PM-JAY which operates strictly as a health insurance and assurance scheme, PM-ABHIM is purely an infrastructure development and capacity-building initiative.
- The funding mechanism of PM-ABHIM includes both Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) components and Central Sector Scheme (CS) components, ensuring tailored central assistance based on the nature of the infrastructure.
- The Integrated Health Information Portal (IHIP), which acts as the digital backbone for the Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (IDSP), is being expanded to all states and union territories under this mission.
- PM-ABHIM directly addresses the gaps highlighted by the COVID-19 pandemic, specifically the acute shortage of critical care beds and oxygen-supported infrastructure at the district hospital level.
- All Critical Care Hospital Blocks developed under the mission are designed with separate infectious disease isolation units to prevent hospital-acquired infections and cross-contamination during outbreak scenarios.