The Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya, organised a week-long celebration under the “Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav”, marking the fourth anniversary of Ayushman Bharat- Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) from April 16 to April 22.
About Ayushman Bharat- Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs):-
i.The AB-HWCs scheme was launched in February 2018 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) in order to achieve Universal Health coverage as realised under National Health Policy 2017.
- The inauguration of the first AB-HWC on 14th April 2018, at Jangla, a serene village in Bijapur District of Chhattisgarh.
ii.Under the Scheme the existing Sub-Health Centres and Primary Health Centres in rural and urban areas are being transformed to deliver comprehensive primary health care, to all citizens, at free of cost and closer to homes.
iii.AB-HWCs are a major shift from selective to comprehensive primary health care inclusive of promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative care; from disease-centred to wellness centred; and whole-of-society approach, institutionalising intersectoral coordination in alignment with the emergent international ‘Health in All’ approach as a complement to ’Health for All’.
Union Health Minister addresses at 4th anniversary celebrations of AB-HWCs
Mansukh Mandaviya, the Union Health Minister addressed the fourth anniversary celebration of AB-HWCs in a meeting organised virtually, which saw the participation of more than 1 Lakh AB-HWCs, State Health ministers, senior Officials of all the States and Union Territories, healthcare workers from various hospitals and development partners.
Key Points:-
i.On April 16, 2022, a record of more than 3 lakh teleconsultations were done under the e-Sanjeevani platform of AB-HWCs. This is the highest number of telecommunications done on a single day, surpassing its earlier record of 1.8 Lakh teleconsultations per day.
ii.On the second day, i.e. On April 17, 2022, Yoga sessions were organised in all the AB-HWCs to highlight the integration of health and wellness in service provision at AB-HWCs.
iii.The Third day begins with organising ‘Block Health Melas’ from 18 April to 22 April, in at least one block in each district of the State/Union Territories (UTs). Each Block Health Mela would be for one day and each block in the State/UTs is to be covered.
iv.The Block Health Melas provide screening for early diagnosis of Tuberculosis (TB), Hypertension, diabetes, basic health care services with drugs and diagnostics along with the teleconsultation with relevant health specialists.
v.During the Virtual meet, The Union Health Minister released four booklets –
- Quarterly report on AB-HWCs
- Guidelines on Human resources for health
- Public Health Management Cadre’ Guidance for implementation
- Indian Public Health Standards Guidelines
vi.One of the noteworthy achievements was that more than 1,17,440 HWCs are actively providing expanded health services across the country, which minimised the distance for a person from a health centre to 30 minutes.
v.The Government of India is committed to establish 1,50,000 AB-HWCs by December 2022. Of which 1,17,400 HWCs have been already established, also more than 1 Lakh Centres have registered for the e-Sanjeevani HWCs portal.
