Team siliconindia

• India has released the second edition of the National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL) to improve access to affordable and quality diagnostic tests across all levels of public healthcare.
• The updated list includes rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) for diseases like syphilis, sickle cell, and Hepatitis B at sub-centres and PHCs, ensuring earlier detection and treatment.
• The NEDL empowers local health facilities by allowing more tests to be conducted on-site, reducing referrals and strengthening primary healthcare infrastructure.

India has released the second edition of its National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL) to enhance public healthcare delivery across the country, especially at the grassroots level. The updated list, released by the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) in collaboration with the National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC), is aimed at bridging diagnostic gaps and making essential medical tests more accessible, affordable, and timely.

The revised NEDL specifies the minimum set of diagnostic tests that must be available at various levels of the public health system from village-level health workers to district hospitals. It includes six tests at the village level, 15 at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (sub-centres), 69 at Primary Health Centres (PHCs), 97 at Community Health Centres (CHCs), and 165 at Sub-District and District Hospitals (SDHs/DHs).

“This updated NEDL is a significant milestone in India’s healthcare journey. It will improve access to quality diagnostics and reduce out-of-pocket expenses for patients, ultimately strengthening healthcare delivery”, said Dr. Rajiv Bahl, Director General, ICMR.

A notable advancement in this edition is the inclusion of Rapid Diagnostic Tests (RDTs) at the sub-centre and PHC levels, such as tests for syphilis, sickle cell disease, and Hepatitis B. These additions are expected to facilitate early diagnosis and timely treatment, particularly in rural and remote regions.

“The updated list is a major step forward in making healthcare more self-reliant at the local level. Diagnostics that were once part of the hub-and-spoke model can now be conducted directly at PHCs, reducing delays and improving patient outcomes”, explained Dr. Kamini Walia, Senior Scientist at ICMR.

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Dr. Sonam Vijay, Scientific Consultant at ICMR, highlighted that public feedback was considered before finalizing the list. The new NEDL reflects six years of progress since the release of the first edition in 2018 and aligns with global standards, including the World Health Organization’s Essential In Vitro Diagnostics List (EDL), which was first published the same year.

India was the first country globally to adapt WHO’s EDL and publish a national-level diagnostics list in 2019, showcasing a pioneering commitment to evidence-based and equitable healthcare. Since then, the country has established Integrated Public Health Laboratories (IPHLs) and revised the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) to match evolving health needs.

The new NEDL empowers health workers at all levels to diagnose and manage a wider range of health conditions, significantly reducing the dependency on referrals and long-distance testing. With better diagnostics closer to home, this initiative marks a major leap in India’s goal of achieving universal health coverage and healthcare equity.