UP gets national awards for family planning, child care initiatives

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh secured two national awards at the 10th national summit on ‘Innovation and Inclusivity: Shaping India’s Health Future’ held in Chandigarh, earning recognition for its best practices in family planning and child health programmes.The summit was organised to promote innovation and inclusivity in India’s healthcare sector. Inaugurated by Union health minister J P Nadda in the presence of Haryana chief minister Nayab Singh Saini, it brought together policymakers, health experts and state representatives from across the country.Sharing details, an official spokesperson said, “UP’s dual recognition highlighted the state’s growing emphasis on strengthening public healthcare delivery through innovation, improved service quality and inclusive health strategies under the National Health Mission (NHM).”In addition to the awards, Uttar Pradesh showcased three major healthcare innovations through poster presentations on rational use of NAAT testing, the Kishor Swasthya Manch initiative, and specialist recruitment through reverse bidding. These initiatives were praised for demonstrating efficient resource utilisation and improved healthcare delivery models.The UP delegation was led by NHM mission director Dr Pinky Jowel, along with senior officials Dr Milind and Dr Suryanshu Ojha, who presented the state’s healthcare interventions and their impact.“The achievement is an endorsement of state govt’s healthcare reforms and its push to position UP as a leader in innovative and inclusive public health practices,” said Dr Jowel.