Parliament Question: Climate proofing of public health infrastructure

GOVERNMENT OFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENT OFHEALTHAND FAMILYWELFARE RAJYASABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 2051 TOBE ANSWERED ON10th MARCH, 2026 CLIMATE PROOFING OFPUBLIC HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE 2051.SHRI S NIRANJAN REDDY: Will the Ministerof HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate: (a) whether Government proposes to revise the Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) to mandate climate-resilient specifications, such as backup power, water security, cooling systems, and flood-resilient design, for health facilities in high-risk districts; (b) whether any assessment has been conducted on gaps in climate-proofing of existing public health infrastructure under National Health Mission (NHM) and National Programme for Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH); and (c) whether a real-time monitoring mechanism is being considered to track infrastructure resilience and service continuity during extreme weather events? ANSWER THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH & FAMILYWELFARE (SHRI PRATAPRAOJADHAV) (a)to (c): Indian PublicHealth Standards(IPHS),recommended in2022,incorporatesclimate- resilient and environmentally sustainable components within the infrastructure and service delivery norms. These includes provisions for reliable power backup systems, water security measures, adequate cooling and ventilation systems, and structural considerations for flood resilience anddisaster preparedness. The revised guidelinesmaybe assessed through the link: https://nhm.gov.in/images/pdf/guidelines/iphs/iphs-revised-guidlines-2022/03_PHC_IPHS_Gu idelines-2022.pdf Under National Programme for Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH), a structured assessment framework titled the Green and Climate Resilient (GCR) Health Care Facilities Assessment Tool has been developed. The tool enables systematic evaluation of public health facilities to identify gaps and opportunities in climate resilience and environmental sustainability. It covers key domains including energy efficiency and renewable energy, water conservation, waste management, smart and green building, and climate resilient measures. The tools may be access through the link: https://ncdc.mohfw.gov.in/centre-for-environmental- occupational-health-climate-change-health/ The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has been actively implementing the IPHS 2022 guidelines to provide uniform, high-quality health services across all states.Implementing IPHS is vital for improving healthcare delivery nationwide and ensuring all citizens accessessential minimum standards of healthservices. Further, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched an open-source toolkit (ODK) and a dashboard under Indian Public Health Standards that will aid the national, state and district health facilities in quickly monitoring compliance with respect to Indian Public Health Standards and enable action accordingly. ******