India sets new ICU standards; specifies levels, bed strength, specialist qualifications

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories.New Delhi: India has issued guidelines defining and classifying intensive care units (ICUs), a regulatory step that will affect 71,000 hospitals and over 1.38 million registered doctors in the country, as the government aims to eliminate hospital-acquired infections and address uneven critical care standards, according to an official familiar with the matter and a document reviewed by Mint.The directorate general of health services (DGHS), operating under the health and family welfare ministry, has categorized ICUs into three levels. The standards start at Level 1 units that are intended for basic stabilization with a minimum of six beds and one ventilator, to Level 3 units equipped for advanced multi-organ failure support with bedside portable CT and mobile digital radiography.The norms set round-the-clock physician coverage, nurse-to-patient ratios and require Level 2 and Level 3 doctors to hold a Doctorate of Medicine or a Doctorate of the National Board in intensive care.

The public sector operates 37,834 ICU beds across medical colleges and district hospitals, including 26 specialized critical care blocks in hilly and northeastern regions, according to government data presented in Parliament in July 2025.Queries sent to the health ministry spokesperson on Thursday remained unanswered till press time. Queries sent to Apollo, Max, Fortis, Manipal, and Medanta hospitals did not elicit any response.Level 2 ICUs should have at least eight beds, a central oxygen supply, invasive ventilation for at least half the beds and access to renal replacement therapy.While clinicians have mostly welcomed the move as long overdue, particularly for smaller facilities that had operated in a grey area,