ICMR and NHA Release Comprehensive Treatment Workflows for Diverse Specialties

The ICMR, in collaboration with the National Health Authority and WHO India, has unveiled 32 new Standard Treatment Workflows (STWs) for treating diseases under five specialties. These guidelines aim to standardize healthcare practices in India. The launch event highlighted the workflows' role in enhancing patient care and future expansions in specialties.

The ICMR, in collaboration with the National Health Authority and WHO India, has unveiled 32 new Standard Treatment Workflows (STWs) to treat common and serious diseases across five specialties. These include cardiothoracic vascular surgery, paediatric cardiology, interventional radiology, neurosurgery, and orthopaedics, supplementing the 125 already released for 23 specialties in 2019 and 2022.

National experts developed these guidelines to promote optimal treatment practices, rational drug use, and efficient healthcare services. Each one-page document outlines key actions for physicians, ensuring uniform healthcare standards in India's public healthcare system.

At the Volume-IV launch of STWs hosted by ICMR, NITI Aayog Member Dr. V K Paul praised these indispensable tools for shaping a resilient healthcare future since their inception. Similarly, Dr. Rajiv Bahl, DG ICMR, emphasized the importance of these protocols in saving lives and improving care quality. By integrating these workflows into medical education, the foundation of healthcare professionals is strengthened. The aim is to disseminate these workflows to insurance companies, healthcare centres, central health systems, and medical professional bodies.

Deepti Gaur Mukerjee, CEO of the National Health Authority, highlighted the collaborative effort in developing these workflows and indicated future expansion into specialties like burn management, plastic surgeries, and polytrauma.