Health Ministry Mandates Implementation of 157 Standard Treatment Workflows to Standardize Healthcare

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 1st August. In a bid to standardize healthcare delivery across India, the Union Health Ministry has mandated the implementation of 157 Standard Treatment Workflows (STWs) developed by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

These STWs, covering 28 medical specialties, are designed to ensure uniform standards of care across hospitals and promote the rational use of essential drugs and diagnostics.

Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra highlighted the importance of adopting these guidelines in a letter addressed to the principal secretaries of health in all states and Union Territories, as well as the National Medical Commission (NMC) for dissemination in medical colleges.

Chandra emphasized that the rapid advancements in medical science necessitate that healthcare providers stay updated with the latest treatment protocols and reference materials.

The Health Ministry’s directive aims to enhance the quality of healthcare services in India by ensuring consistency and evidence-based practices. To facilitate this, a simplified, updated approach in the form of a pager app-based tool has been introduced. This tool will guide doctors at various levels of care, from primary to tertiary, as they manage patients.

Recognizing the need for a practical implementation method, the STWs are provided as concise one-page documents accessible through the ICMR website and as a downloadable mobile app for both Android and iOS platforms.

The STWs, developed in collaboration with the National Health Authority (NHA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) India Country Office, address both common and serious diseases encountered by physicians across different levels of the healthcare system.

Chandra stressed that these guidelines, prepared by national experts with extensive patient care experience, aim to improve the management of healthcare services, promote the rational use of essential drugs and diagnostics, and ensure uniform standards of care across the Indian public health system.