GUIDE / HEALTH-GLOSSARY
Public Health Glossary: IDSP, IHIP and NHM Full Forms
Surveillance and NHM documents are full of short forms. This glossary gives the full form, a one-line meaning and the type of source for each term, so you can use it confidently in reports, exams and training.
- Terms listed
- 56
- Main sources
- MoHFW abbreviation lists, IDSP manuals, NCDC, PIB, Lok Sabha answers
- Source type
- Official, News or Unverified, shown for every term
- Example
- IHIP = Integrated Health Information Platform
- Example
- MLHP = Mid-Level Health (care) Provider
New staff meet dozens of abbreviations in the first week, and some, like NHP, have two meanings. This public health glossary (स्वास्थ्य शब्दावली) collects the terms used in IDSP, IHIP and National Health Mission (NHM) work, with full forms taken from MoHFW abbreviation lists, IDSP training manuals, NCDC pages, PIB releases and Lok Sabha answers.
Each row also shows a source type. "Official" means the expansion or meaning comes from a government or WHO document. "Unverified" means it is a standard expansion we could not find in an official Indian source, so confirm it locally before using it in an official report. This is an independent reference, not a government publication.
How to use this glossary
The table below holds 56 terms. To jump to a term, use the search box above the glossary and type the short form (for example "DSO") or a word from the meaning (for example "vaccine"). On a phone, the table scrolls sideways.
Rows run in this order: surveillance terms, health system and facilities, workforce, then programmes, portals and immunisation. For what the surveillance roles do on the platform, see IHIP user roles.
Full glossary table
| Term | Full form | Meaning | Source type |
|---|---|---|---|
| IHIP | Integrated Health Information Platform | Next-generation IDSP platform; case-based, near-real-time; 33 diseases; launched 5 Apr 2021 | Official: PIB 2021 |
| IDSP | Integrated Disease Surveillance Programme (older: "Project") | National outbreak surveillance programme, launched Nov 2004 with World Bank help | Official: IDSP; MoHFW list |
| NCDC | National Centre for Disease Control | Hosts the IDSP Central Surveillance Unit in Delhi | Official: IDSP |
| CSU | Central Surveillance Unit | National IDSP unit at NCDC: oversight, technical guidance, monitoring | Official: NCDC |
| SSU | State Surveillance Unit | State-level IDSP unit under the State Health Department | Official: NCDC |
| DSU | District Surveillance Unit | District IDSP unit headed by the DSO | Official: IDSP modules |
| DSO | District Surveillance Officer | Heads the DSU; picks RRT members in IHIP | Official: IDSP; IHIP manual |
| SSO | State Surveillance Officer | Manages IHIP user accounts; approves district requests | Official: IHIP manuals |
| RRT | Rapid Response Team | Investigates and controls outbreaks; core: epidemiologist, clinician, microbiologist | Official: IDSP |
| EWS | Early Warning Signal(s) | Early signs of epidemic-prone disease; IHIP has an "EWS Outbreak Summary" | Official: IHIP manual |
| S form | Suspected Cases | Symptom-based report filled by health workers at the Sub Centre | Official: NCDC |
| P form | Presumptive Cases | Report by clinicians based on history and clinical examination | Official: NCDC |
| L form | laboratory Confirmed Cases | Lab-confirmed case report filled by lab staff | Official: NCDC |
| Form W | Reporting Format for Water Quality Monitoring | Legacy IDSP paper form (historical) | Official: IDSP form guidelines |
| Syndromic surveillance | n/a | "surveillance of diseases based on the presenting symptom/s" | Official: IDSP form guidelines |
| Presumptive case | n/a | "based on the probable medical diagnosis of the presenting syndrome/s" | Official: IDSP form guidelines |
| Confirmed case | n/a | "a clinical case with positive laboratory confirmation by appropriate laboratory test/s" | Official: IDSP form guidelines |
| Case definition | n/a | Standard criteria (probable, suspected, confirmed) used to classify cases of each disease | Official: IDSP Module 5 |
| Reporting week | n/a | Monday to Sunday (2008 guidelines) | Official: IDSP form guidelines |
| Zero / nil reporting | n/a | Report sent even when there are no cases: "Even NIL weekly reporting is mandated" | Official: NCDC |
| Outbreak (प्रकोप) | n/a | Cases "clearly in excess of expected numbers" | Official: IDSP; IHIP manual |
| Epidemic (महामारी) | n/a | Like an outbreak but covers large areas with more than one focal point | Official: IDSP Module 8 |
| Cluster | n/a | No formal definition found; clustering of cases or deaths in time or space is a warning sign | Official: IDSP Module 8 |
| Trigger level | n/a | Threshold that starts a response; levels 1 (suspected outbreak) to 5 (disaster) | Official: IDSP modules |
| Epidemiological week | n/a | No official IDSP definition found; IDSP uses a Monday to Sunday reporting week | Official: IDSP form guidelines |
| IDSR | Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response | WHO Africa regional strategy adopted 1998; not an Indian programme | Official: WHO AFRO |
| LIMS | Laboratory Information Management System | Standard expansion; no IDSP or IHIP source found | Unverified |
| NHM | National Health Mission | Umbrella mission with NRHM and NUHM as sub-missions; approved May 2013 | Official: MoHFW |
| NRHM / NUHM | National Rural / Urban Health Mission | The two sub-missions of NHM | Official: MoHFW |
| HMIS | Health Management Information System | NHM web portal for monthly facility-wise aggregate data | Official: MoHFW |
| NHP | National Health Policy; also National Health Portal | Ambiguous: say which one you mean | Official: MoHFW list |
| SC | Sub Centre (Sub-Health Centre) | Most peripheral facility; norm 5,000 population (3,000 hilly or tribal) | Official: MoHFW RHS |
| PHC | Primary Health Centre | 4 to 6 beds; norm 30,000 population (20,000 hilly or tribal) | Official: MoHFW RHS |
| CHC | Community Health Centre | 30-bed referral unit for 4 PHCs; norm 1,20,000 (80,000 hilly or tribal) | Official: MoHFW RHS |
| UPHC | Urban Primary Health Centre | One per 50,000 urban population under NUHM; focus on the urban poor | Official: NHM Odisha |
| HWC / AAM | Health and Wellness Centre, now Ayushman Arogya Mandir | Upgraded SC or PHC with a 12-service package; 1,74,966 operational at 31.10.2024 | Official: Lok Sabha 2024 |
| IPHS | Indian Public Health Standards | Benchmarks for minimum essential services; current version IPHS 2022 | Official: Lok Sabha 2024 |
| NABH | National Accreditation Board for Hospitals & Healthcare Providers | Board of the Quality Council of India; set up 2005 | Official: NABH |
| OPD / IPD | Out-Patient / In-Patient Department | Service categories in HMIS data | Usage official; expansion unverified |
| ANM | Auxiliary Nurse Midwife | Female health worker at the Sub Centre | Official: MoHFW |
| MPW | Multi Purpose health Worker | Male health worker, MPW(M), at the Sub Centre | Official: MoHFW |
| ASHA | Accredited Social Health Activist | Community health activist under NHM | Official: MoHFW list |
| CHO | Community Health Officer | Mid-level provider leading the HWC or SC team (ANM, MPW, ASHAs) | Official: MoHFW AAM guidance |
| MLHP | Mid-Level Health (care) Provider | The cadre the CHO belongs to | Official: MoHFW AAM guidance |
| DIO | District Immunization Officer | District immunisation lead | Official: MoHFW list |
| RCH | Reproductive and Child Health | Programme area; RCH portal tracks individual beneficiaries | Official: MoHFW |
| MCTS | Mother and Child Tracking System | Predecessor of the RCH portal (Dec 2009) | Official: MoHFW; UP NHM |
| ANMOL | ANM On Line | ANM tablet app, launched 7 Apr 2016 | Official: MoHFW |
| U-WIN | No expansion found in official text | Digital vaccination record for pregnant women and children 0 to 17 | Official: PIB 2024 |
| UIP | Universal Immunization Programme | National immunisation programme | Official: MoHFW list |
| IMNCI | Integrated Management of Neonatal & Childhood Illness | Child-health case-management strategy | Official: MoHFW list |
| IEC | Information, Education and Communication | Health awareness activities | Official: MoHFW list |
| AEFI | Adverse Event Following Immunization | Reportable event after vaccination | Official: MoHFW list |
| eVIN | Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network | Digital vaccine stock and cold-chain system | Official: MoHFW list |
| VPD | Vaccine Preventable Disease | Disease preventable by UIP vaccines | Official: MoHFW list |
| NVHCP | National Viral Hepatitis Control Program | Hepatitis programme launched 28 Jul 2018 | Official: NVHCP |
हिंदी में सारांश
यह स्वास्थ्य शब्दावली आईडीएसपी (IDSP), आईएचआईपी (IHIP) और राष्ट्रीय स्वास्थ्य मिशन (NHM) में इस्तेमाल होने वाले संक्षिप्त शब्दों के पूरे नाम और अर्थ बताती है। उदाहरण के लिए IHIP का पूरा नाम इंटीग्रेटेड हेल्थ इन्फॉर्मेशन प्लेटफॉर्म, IDSP का इंटीग्रेटेड डिज़ीज़ सर्विलांस प्रोग्राम, DSO का जिला निगरानी अधिकारी, RRT का रैपिड रिस्पॉन्स टीम, CHO का कम्युनिटी हेल्थ ऑफिसर, MLHP का मिड लेवल हेल्थ प्रोवाइडर, UPHC का अर्बन प्राइमरी हेल्थ सेंटर और IPHS का इंडियन पब्लिक हेल्थ स्टैंडर्ड्स है। हर शब्द के साथ स्रोत का प्रकार दिया गया है: आधिकारिक या असत्यापित। असत्यापित शब्दों को आधिकारिक रिपोर्ट में लिखने से पहले अपने जिले से पुष्टि करें। यह एक स्वतंत्र गाइड है, सरकारी प्रकाशन नहीं।
Terms people often mix up
- IHIP vs IDSP vs HMIS: IDSP is the surveillance programme; IHIP is the platform where it now reports; HMIS is a separate monthly service-delivery reporting system under NHM. See IDSP explained and HMIS explained.
- Suspected, presumptive, confirmed: the S, P and L forms match these three case levels. The comparison is on S, P and L forms explained.
- Outbreak, epidemic, cluster: an outbreak is more cases than expected; an epidemic covers a large area with more than one focal point; a cluster has no formal IDSP definition but is a warning sign.
Names with two meanings or new names
- NHP: National Health Policy in the MoHFW list, but also the National Health Portal (nhp.gov.in), which older IHIP and HMIS addresses used. Always say which one you mean.
- HWC and AAM: the same centres. Health and Wellness Centres were renamed Ayushman Arogya Mandir, with the tagline "Arogyam Parmam Dhanam", as reported by The Tribune (November 2023).
- CHO and MLHP: CHO is the post; MLHP is its cadre. Trigger levels and alert formats are on outbreak reporting in IDSP.
Checking a full form before you use it
Short forms change over time (HWC became AAM; MCTS gave way to the RCH portal). Before putting a term in a report, circular or exam answer:
- Find the term in the table and read the source type.
- If it says "Official", use the full form exactly as written, including spellings such as "Immunization" or "Counseling" that follow the source.
- If it says "Unverified", check your state's training material or ask your district programme officer.
- If a term has two meanings (like NHP), write the full form the first time you use it.
- For portals, use the current name: for example, RCH portal rather than MCTS.
For the portals behind several of these terms (RCH, ANMOL, U-WIN, Ni-kshay and others), see health portals for health workers.
Frequently asked questions
What is the full form of IHIP?
IHIP stands for Integrated Health Information Platform. It is the digital platform launched by MoHFW on 5 April 2021 as the next generation version of IDSP, and it tracks 33 diseases, up from 18. The official IDSP reporting portal on IHIP is ihip.mohfw.gov.in/idsp.
What is the full form of MLHP and CHO?
MLHP stands for Mid-Level Health (care) Provider, and CHO for Community Health Officer. According to MoHFW guidance, the CHO is a mid-level provider who leads the team at a Health and Wellness Centre or Sub Centre, which includes the ANM, MPW and ASHAs. MLHP is the cadre to which the CHO belongs.
What is the full form of UPHC?
UPHC means Urban Primary Health Centre. Under the National Urban Health Mission, guidelines from NHM Odisha describe one UPHC per 50,000 urban population, with a focus on the urban poor. It is the urban counterpart of the rural PHC.
What is the full form of IPHS?
IPHS stands for Indian Public Health Standards. A Lok Sabha answer from December 2024 describes them as essential benchmarks that ensure the delivery of minimum essential services through public healthcare facilities. The current version is IPHS 2022.
What is the full form of IMNCI?
IMNCI stands for Integrated Management of Neonatal & Childhood Illness, as listed in the MoHFW abbreviations list. It is a case-management strategy for child health. Treatment protocols should come from your official training, not from a glossary.
What does HMIS stand for?
HMIS stands for Health Management Information System. It is the National Health Mission's web portal for monthly, facility-wise aggregate data on service delivery and infrastructure. It is separate from IHIP, which handles case-based disease surveillance.
Sources: MoHFW, Rural Health Care System in India · IDSP Form Guidelines (2008) · IHIP Event Alert and Outbreak Investigation Manual · MoHFW Bridge Programme guidance (CHO) · Lok Sabha USQ 2060, 6 Dec 2024 · The Tribune, Nov 2023 (AAM renaming). Checked 16 October 2026. Portals and manuals change: confirm on the official site or with your district surveillance unit.