The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has drawn up time bound targets to achieve reduction in the incidence of diseases in the country, especially endemic diseases.

Malaria mortality rate is to be reduced by half by 2010 and another 10 per cent by 2012. Kala Azar deaths are planned to be wiped out completely by 2010 and thereafter keep up sustained efforts for its total elimination.

Further it envisages filaria deaths to be reduced by 70 per cent by 2010, 80 per cent by 2012 and total elimination by 2015; Deaths from Dengue to be halved by 2010 and sustain it at that level till 2012; Cataract operations to be increased to 46 lakh per annum; Leprosy prevalence rate to go down from 1.8 per 10,000 in 2005, to less than 1 per 10,000 thereafter; TB (DOTS series) cure rate will be maintained at 85 per cent throughout the entire Mission period of seven years.

The Draft of the Mission while acknowledging the critical gaps in the health delivery system will specially focus on 18 States with weak public health indicators or poor infrastructure. The 18 States include, eight Empowered Action Group States, eight North-eastern States, Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.

With the National Common Minimum Programme laying specific emphasis on the social sector, particularly healthcare, the ministry has drawn strategies for achieving the targets. Firstly, it aims to reduce infant mortality rate to 30/1000 live births, maternal mortality rate to 100/1,00,000 live births and total fertility rate planned to be reduced to 2.1, by 2012.