The National Health Mission is categorized into two submissions namely the National Rural Health Mission and the National Urban Health Mission. The two missions generally work for strengthening the health care system in the Reproductive -Maternal-Neonatal-Child and Adolescent Health. Also, the missions help in providing health care provisions for treatment of both communicable and non-communicable diseases. Several action plans have been implemented by the Honorable Prime Ministers and the Cabinet Ministers in order to increase the flexibility in the key health outcomes that can have a positive impact on the environment and ecology.  

Aim of National Health Mission

The Government of India has launched the National Health Mission Scheme and aims at improving the accessibility and availability of health care services in both rural and urban areas. The Missions targets for better health care services in the country basically for the poor, women, and children. The chief aim of the National Health Mission are-

  • It aims in reducing the “Infant Mortality Rate” or IMR rate and the “Maternal Mortality Ratio” or MMR
  • The Mission provides universal access to all the “public health care services” like Child Health and Women’s health, sanitation and hygiene, nutrition, and immunization.
  • Prevention and control of “communicable and non-communicable” diseases which also include the local endemic diseases. 
  • The Mission provides access to integrated and comprehensive primary health care facilities
  • Helps in stabilizing the “population, gender and the demographic factors”.
  • Maintains and promotes the key to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. 
  • Revise the local health facilities and traditions and streamline the impact of AYUSH (Includes Sowa-Rigpa, Ayurveda, Naturopathy and Yoga, Siddha, Unani, and Homeopathy)
  • Aims to reduce and prevent anemia in women of age ranging from “15-49” years.
  • The scheme aims in preventing and reducing morbidity and mortality from non-communicable, communicable, emerging diseases and injuries.
  • The mission also aims to reduce “annual incidence and mortality rates from Tuberculosis by 50%.
  • Targets to prevent the spread of some deadly diseases like leprosy, microfilaria, Kala-azar, etc.

Impact of environment and ecology on NHM

National Rural Health Missions

There is a huge impact of environment and ecology on the health condition of an individual. The environmental factors like the quality of the air we breathe, the dust exposure in the air, level of pollution, quality of water, toxic elements in soil all determine the health factors of an individual. For example, it is often noticed that poor water quality often results from the breeding of mosquitoes. This can result in the occurrence of deadly diseases like Kala-Azhar, dengue, and malaria. Also, people are likely to suffer from water-borne diseases like cholera. This is a common scenario in many rural areas where the people do not get proper drinking water facilities or sanitation. National Health mission implements action plans to provide purified and clean water to rural areas and reduce the spread of such diseases further. The National Rural Health Mission also ensures that the people in the rural areas get the mandatory vaccines and the children have access to routine polio doses. Additionally, it also provides adequate resources for pregnant mothers in rural areas. 

National Urban Health Missions

Increased levels of pollution in urban areas increase respiratory problems. Urbanization also leads to exposure to toxic gasses and dust in the environment which is harmful to ecological development. The irregular dietary habits and anxiety are making people prone to diseases like obesity, High Blood pressure. People in urban areas are subjected to increased risks of cancer due to greater consumption of alcohol and tobacco. Therefore the National Urban Health Mission targets to provide mass awareness about the ill effects of the diseases. The mission also provides quality health care services to the community and the people of the urban areas.  Maintenance of a healthy lifestyle enhances the living environment in the ecosystem and hence improves the quality of life. Better health care services prevent various environmental health-related problems too.