ICMR Releases 23 Standard Treatment Workflows for Serious Diseases

The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), in partnership with the National Health Authority (NHA) and WHO India, has released 32 new Standard Treatment Workflows (STWs) for various common and serious diseases.

These new STWs span five specialties incdlufing cardiothoracic vascular surgery, paediatric cardiology, interventional radiology, neurosurgery, and orthopaedics. This adds to the 125 STWs previously released across 23 specialties in 2019 and 2022.

During the Volume-IV launch of Standard Treatment Workflows at ICMR, Department of Health Research (DHR) Secretary and ICMR Director General Rajiv Bahl emphasised the significance of these protocols and said that these standard protocols save lives and improve the quality of care.

"These standard protocols save lives and improve the quality of care," Bahl stated. He emphasized that incorporating these workflows into medical education from the start strengthens the foundation of healthcare professionals. Bahl also mentioned plans to disseminate these workflows to healthcare insurance companies, healthcare centers, central health systems, and medical professional bodies.

Endorsing the STWs, Member NITI Aayog Vinod Kumar Paul said, "These vital tools have been the guiding light since inception, shaping a resilient future. These evidence-based and trusted workflows ensure that patients receive the right treatment, while standardisation helps healthcare professionals follow guidelines effectively."

Deepti Gaur Mukerjee, Chief Executive Officer of the National Health Authority (NHA), expressed a positive outlook on the collaboration and highlighted future plans. "Our joint initiative with ICMR for the development of these workflows has been a fruitful endeavor. We've put considerable effort into broadening the specialties encompassed by the STWs," Mukerjee said. She noted that future efforts would focus on specialties such as burn management, plastic surgeries, and polytrauma. "Our aim is to persistently enhance patient care by covering a more diverse range of medical fields through our STWs," she added.

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