Despite COVID, India operationalize 70,000 Health and Wellness Centres under Ayushman Bharat

New Delhi, March 22: Scaling up the health care, India has achieved another landmark in the Health care sector by operationalizing 70,000 Ayushman Bharat- Health and Wellness Centres by 31st March. Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's guidance, India has achieved the major feat despite having the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

According to the statement, 41.35 crore people have accessed primary healthcare services at these Health and Wellness Centres. More interestingly, from that 41.35 crores peoples, about 54 percent of the beneficiaries are women. AB-HWCs are not only providing services related to communicable diseases but also for non-communicable diseases such as hypertension, diabetes, and cancer.

 

The health and wellness centers also provide preventive health care services. The ministry has so far done 9.1 crore screenings for Hypertension, 7.4 crores screenings for Diabetes, 4.7 crore screenings for oral cancer, 2.4 crores screenings for Breast Cancer in women, and 1.7 crore screenings for cervical cancer in women.

 

Besides this, it has also provided Tele-consultation services to more than 9.45 lakh peoples. The government has also expanded the AB-HWC to include pregnancy care and childbirth, infant health care services, health care services for children, family planning, oral health care, and emergency medical services.

 

Moreover, AB-HWCs have also played an important role during the COVID-19 epidemic. Between 1st February to 21 March AB-HWC has conducted 75% of total NCD Screenings during this COVID period itself.

 

 

 

 

The ministry in its statement added that the government is increasing the workforce of the health care centers that now includes a trained non-physician health worker with BSc Nursing/BAMS qualification, community health officer (CHO), and primary care team of health workers.

 

Modi government launched Ayushman Bharat in April 2018, intending to provide affordable healthcare for all in the country. The government has aimed to achieve the target of 150,000 sub-health centers and primary health centers in urban and rural areas by December 2022. This would help deliver comprehensive primary health care that includes preventive and health promotion at the community level with a continuum of care that is free and close to the community in rural and urban areas.

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