Union Health Minister Shri Jagat Prakash Nadda chaired a high-level meeting on August 1, 2026, to assess the expansion of Project SARATHI across healthcare institutions nationwide. Union Minister for Labour & Employment and Youth Affairs & Sports, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya, also participated in the deliberations.
The meeting reviewed the implementation and impact of Project SARATHI at PGIMER, Chandigarh, where the initiative has mobilized more than 2,500 volunteers who have contributed over 1.5 lakh service hours. These volunteers provide non-clinical support including hospital navigation, wheelchair and stretcher assistance, guidance for diagnostic services, and ABHA ID creation support. A study by the Department of Community Medicine, PGIMER, reported a 26% reduction in overall patient navigation time for those assisted under the initiative.
Discussions focused on developing a scalable and sustainable framework for implementing Project SARATHI in hospitals across the country, including institutional mechanisms, volunteer training, coordination with the MY Bharat initiative of the Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports, and digital integration through platforms for volunteer registration, attendance, and patient feedback. The meeting emphasized that volunteers should complement healthcare services without undertaking clinical or administrative responsibilities.
Senior officials from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare and Ministry of Youth Affairs & Sports attended, including Union Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava, Additional Secretary Shri Vijay Nehra, Joint Secretary & MD (ABDM) Shri Kiran Gopal Vaska, and directors from several major central hospitals including AIIMS New Delhi, ABVIMS & Dr. RML Hospital, VMMC & Safdarjung Hospital, and Lady Hardinge Medical College.