What is the National Essential Diagnostics list?

• The NEDL lists the essential and most basic tests that should be available at various levels of healthcare facilities in the country, including at the village level, in sub-health centres, health and wellness centres, and primary health centres.
• In 2018, the World Health Organisation had recommended the development and implementation of an NEDL to facilitate the availability of in-vitro diagnostics across the various tiers of the healthcare pyramid, in facilities with or without an onsite laboratory. ICMR then released India’s first NEDL in 2019 to make the availability of diagnostics an essential component of the healthcare system.
• ICMR has defined essential diagnostic tests as those that satisfy the priority health care needs of the population and are selected with due regard to disease prevalence and public health relevance, evidence of efficacy and accuracy, and comparative cost-effectiveness. 
• The Council added that the test should focus on conditions with a high disease burden or having significant public health relevance, where the introduction of a diagnostic test will have a clear impact on disease diagnosis and management. 
• It should have a documented use and necessity at the level for which it is suggested, and any proposed addition should align with the availability of equipment, infrastructure and manpower, as per the Indian Public Health Standards, 2022.