Healthcare Facility Testing Guidelines Released by ICMR: Nine Diagnostic Tests Needed at Village-Level Centres

The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) has emerged with a draft set of guidelines that will act as a blueprint for healthcare facilities across the country, ranging from village-level health centre to district hospitals.

These proposed National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL) standards suggest that even the smallest rural health centres must offer diagnostic testing services for 9 common diseases and conditions including diabetes, malaria, TB, HIV and syphilis.

According to ICMR, at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, there should be additional tests available such as Hepatitis B, in addition to basic tests available at smaller village-level health centres. Health centres or Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) will need diagnostic facilities for common illnesses, including dengue, Japanese Encephalitis and severe scrub typhus.

X-ray machines, electrocardiogram (ECG) devices should also be present at PHCs with additional options available such as CT scans, MRI machines, mammography and echocardiography.