Quality health care within reach

In the scattered hamlets and busy wards of Madhya Pradesh, public health care is carried forward not by systems alone, but by people who walk the extra mile—sometimes quite literally. On an uneven path leading to Puranpura village in Ghatigaon, Gwalior, auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) Ms Deepa Gaur and community health officer Ms Sonia Shakya make their way on foot, vaccine carriers in hand. The rocky terrain is uneven, the path unpaved, and the summer heat unforgiving. Yet, for them, the 2 km trek is all in a day’s work. At the end of it lies a small settlement of just 25 families—easy to overlook on a map, but not in their work.

On this day, eight-month-old Raunak Adivasi is brought for immunization by his aunt while his parents are away to work as daily-wage farm workers. Raunak receives his scheduled vaccines under the Government of India’s Universal Immunization Programme, which provides 13 essential vaccines to children, including HPV against cervical cancer for 14-year-old girls, and Japanese encephalitis vaccine in endemic areas. These outreach sessions are a lifeline for communities dependent on informal labour for income as they risk losing a day’s wages to visit a health centre. Frontline workers like Ms Gaur and Ms Shankya ensure that essential health services are not a privilege, but a guarantee.

Auxiliary nurse midwife Ms Deepa Gaur from the Attri Subcentre, vaccinating eight-month-old Raunak Adivasi during a routine immunization outreach session in Puranpura village, Ghatigaon (© WHO India / Sanchita Sharma)

Some miles away in the Civil Hospital in Banmore, Morena, another kind of frontline effort unfolds—this one within crowded corridors and clinic rooms. Once a month, the hospital hosts an antenatal care clinic that draws around sixty pregnant women. They come for free screenings, blood tests, and ultrasounds—many of them for the first time in their pregnancies.

Under the supervision of senior gynaecologist Dr Abha Singh Rathore, the clinic identifies and monitors high-risk cases—typically 10 to 12 each month. For these women, early detection and management of risks can mean the difference between complication and care. The waiting area fills early, with women seated patiently, some accompanied by family members, all united by a shared reliance on the public health system.

Dr Surendra Singh Gurjar, officer in charge (left), and senior gynaecologist Dr Abha Singh Rathore following up on the health of Ms Preeti Solanki and her four-days old baby girl in the women’s ward in the 50-bed Civil Hospital Banmore (© WHO India / Sanchita Sharma)

Inside the women’s ward, care continues beyond diagnosis. Dr Surendra Singh Gurjar and Dr Rathore move between beds, checking on new mothers and their newborns. Among them is Ms Preeti Solanki, cradling her four-day-old daughter. The hospital handles 70 to 80 deliveries each month, a testament to the growing trust in public facilities.

Behind the scenes, precision and speed define the work of the laboratory. Technician Ashutosh Sharma oversees a fully automated biochemistry analyser capable of processing dozens of samples in under two hours. From liver and kidney profiles to HbA1c testing for diabetes, the lab supports timely diagnosis with efficiency that rivals larger centres—ensuring that treatment decisions are based on reliable data.

But perhaps the strongest indicator of change is the community itself. Increasingly, families are turning to public services not out of compulsion, but choice. Anshu and Vikas Sharma arrive with their infant son, Advik, for routine immunization. The process is smooth, familiar, and reassuring. The attending ANM, Suman Tomar, serves a population of around 10 000 and keeps track of her young patients with diligence—sending SMS reminders to parents ahead of scheduled vaccinations and staying accessible by phone for follow-ups.

Auxiliary nurse midwife Ms Suman Tomar with Ms Anshu and Vikas Sharma, who have brought their firstborn Advik for routine immunization. (© WHO India / Sanchita Sharma)

For families like the Sharma's, this continuity of care matters. What stands out is not just access, but relationship—between health workers and the communities they serve. “The convenience of services close to home, along with our trust in the ANM and the quality of government-procured medicines, has reduced our dependence on private health care providers,” said Mr Sharma, who works in a bank in Gwalior. 

The Government of India’s outreach efforts are supported by the WHO National Public Health Support Network, with technical and field teams working alongside all levels of government to further strengthen routine immunization. These efforts span disease surveillance, early outbreak detection, laboratory network coordination, and rapid response on the ground. The sustained, hands-on engagement has helped India maintain its polio-free status, accelerate measles–rubella elimination, and reinforce surveillance for vaccine-preventable diseases. It also underpins key initiatives such as the zero-dose implementation plan, vaccine safety monitoring, and stronger accountability mechanisms—ensuring that immunization services reach underserved populations and respond effectively to emerging risks.

Health care delivery across varied settings—whether on a rocky village path or in a hospital ward—tell a story is one of dedication and persistence. Public health here is not an abstract policy, but a daily act of commitment. It is carried in vaccine boxes, recorded in patient registers, and reflected in the steady confidence of communities who know that care will reach them, wherever they are.