ICMR starts revising current National Essential Diagnostics List for first time

• The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) has commenced the revision process for the National Essential Diagnostics List (NEDL) citing the need for an update since its initial release in 2019.

Purpose of NEDL

• The NEDL serves to catalogue fundamental diagnostic tests deemed essential at various healthcare levels
  • Including village, sub-health centers, health and wellness centers, and primary health centers.
• It aims to ensure the availability of crucial tests across the healthcare pyramid, aligning with World Health Organization (WHO) recommendations from 2018.

Criteria for Inclusion

• ICMR emphasises that the inclusion of diagnostic tests in the NEDL is based on careful consideration of disease burden data
  • Alignment with national programs, and adherence to Indian public health standards.
• The Council outlines essential diagnostic tests as those prioritizing healthcare needs, considering disease prevalence, public health relevance,

Stakeholder Involvement

• Stakeholders are urged to assess the essentiality of proposed tests, considering disease burden, alignment with public health standards, and availability of equipment, infrastructure, and manpower.
• The suggested diagnostic tests should focus on high disease burden conditions with clear impacts on disease diagnosis and management.
• Alignment with Indian Public Health Standards for 2022 is emphasized in the proposal.

Prelims takeaway

• Indian Council of Medical Research
• NEDL