What was the main aim of India's National Urban Health Mission?

• A. Strengthen rural health services.
• B. Improve health access for the urban poor.
• C. Regulate private hospitals.
• D. Increase medical education.

Answer: (B)

National Urban Health Mission centers on improving health access for people living in urban areas, with a strong emphasis on the urban poor. The idea is to strengthen city-level public health systems—through better urban primary health centers, outreach, governance, and financing—so essential services are available, affordable, and equitable for those in urban slums and underserved neighborhoods. This focus fills gaps where urban health needs were often neglected, ensuring that city residents can obtain maternal and child health services, immunizations, disease prevention, and essential care more reliably. The other options miss the targeted urban focus: strengthening rural health services sits with rural health programs, regulating private hospitals is not the main aim, and increasing medical education, while useful, is not the primary objective of the mission.