In order to effectively address the health concerns of the urban poor population, the Ministry launched a National Urban Health Mission (NUHM). It was approved on 1st May, 2013 as a sub-mission of National Health Mission (NHM). The approvals and releases under NUHM started from F.Y. 2013- 14 onwards.
NUHM aims to provide comprehensive primary healthcare services in urban areas, through Urban Primary Health Centers (U-PHCs), Urban Community Health Centers (U-CHCs) (which can act as first referral units), strong outreach services and accessible frontline health workers.
As per Census 2001, 28.6 crore people live in urban areas. The urban population has increased to 37.7 crore in 2011. Urban growth has led to rapid increase in number of urban poor population, many of whom live in slums and other squatter settlements thus putting greater strain on the urban infrastructure which is already overstretched. As per the United Nations projections, if urbanization continues at the present rate, then 46% of the total population will be in urban regions of India by 2030.
The National Urban Health Mission therefore aims to address the health concerns of the urban poor through facilitating equitable access to available health facilities by rationalizing and strengthening of the existing capacity of health delivery for improving the health status of the urban poor.