Health Secretary calls for sustainable improvements in cleanliness across healthcare facilities
New Delhi: The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare reviewed the progress of the ongoing Special Campaign 6, which aims to institutionalise Swachhata and minimise pendency in government offices.
The review meeting also assessed preparedness for the dedicated one-day Kayakalp Activities on Sanitation and Hygiene, scheduled for 27 October, 2026.
The review meeting, chaired by Union Health Secretary Smt. Punya Salila Srivastava, was held virtually from Kartavya Bhawan-1, New Delhi, today. Heads of institutions and organisations, including Central Government hospitals, Central Public Sector Undertakings (CPSUs), the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS), and other offices and units under the Department of Health and Family Welfare, participated in the meeting, the PIB stated.
During the meeting with the representatives of health institutions and facilities, Union Health Secretary emphasised that the campaign must go beyond symbolic activities to bring about perceptible improvements in sanitation, hygiene, space management and the overall upkeep of public healthcare facilities. She underscored that healthcare facilities are high-footfall areas where proper sanitation and cleanliness are essential for effective service delivery.
She stressed that ensuring swachhata and hygiene is crucial to enhancing the quality of services and improving the overall experience of patients and visitors. She urged the institutions to participate wholeheartedly in the Kayakalp activities scheduled for 27 October, 2026 and ensure that the improvements undertaken are perceptible and verifiable, bringing about a distinctive change in the appearance of their premises and the experience of visitors.
Furthermore, she also noted that 100 per cent of identified cleanliness sites had been cleaned, nearly 100 per cent of public grievance appeals had been resolved, and approximately ₹50 lakhs in revenue had been generated through auction and clearance drives.
A key focus of the discussion was the effective implementation of the principles of Reduce, Reuse and Recycle, alongside sanitation and hygiene measures, pest control, biomedical waste management, e-waste disposal and improved maintenance of public spaces. Institutions were encouraged to undertake disposal of obsolete records and materials, including through e-auctions, to create usable space and generate revenue also, wherever feasible.
Further, participating institutions were encouraged to share examples of innovative practices undertaken as part of the campaign. These included repurposing discarded materials into functional items such as plant stands and storage racks, refurbishing condemned furniture, digitizing medical records to free up valuable space, developing green spaces through plantation drives, and undertaking deep-cleaning and horticultural initiatives to improve the overall environment of healthcare facilities.
Other initiatives shared by several institutions during the meeting included the disposal of long-pending scrap through authorized auction platforms, which helped in generating revenue for the institutions and also creating additional usable space within their premises. Certain institutions also introduced digital grievance redressal platforms and QR code-enabled feedback mechanisms to expedite complaint resolution and reduce pendency.
Union Health Secretary emphasized that the campaign’s impact must be assessed through direct feedback from visitors and beneficiaries also. She concluded the meeting with a call to all health institutions to document their initiatives, share achievements through designated digital platforms, and ensure that the Special Campaign 6 creates a cleaner, accessible and welcoming environment for patients, pensioners, staff and visitors.
The review meeting was attended by representatives of 336 Central health institutions from across the country, including AIIMS Guwahati, AIIMS Rishikesh, AIIMS Bhubaneswar, NIMHANS Bengaluru, CDSCO Ahmedabad, Lady Hardinge Medical College, Safdarjung Hospital and RIMS Imphal, among others.
