India surpasses 1,50,000 Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres before Dec 31 deadline

New Delhi [India], December 30 (ANI): In what is being said to be a landmark achievement of the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government at the Centre, India has surpassed 150,000 operational Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) before December 31, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) said on Friday.

Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated the nation on this achievement saying that India had successfully achieved the goal it had set out to accomplish. “PM Narendra Modi had set a target of starting 1.5 lakh AB-HWCs in the country by December 2022. I am happy to inform you that today we have achieved this target.

These centres will definitely strengthen the primary health care of the citizens,” the Union Health minister tweeted. “Delivered, what said. Achieving the set target, 1,50,000 Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centers became functional in the country,” read a post on the BJP’s official Twitter handle.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, too, applauded the efforts of the nation in accomplishing this feat before the set deadline, saying that these centres will strive to provide citizens easy access and primary healthcare facilities.

“Fulfilling the principles of ‘Antyoday’- leaving no one behind, 150,000 Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) are transforming the delivery of comprehensive primary health care services which are universally free and cater to all age groups from birth to death, through a continuum of care approach.

Ensuring the reach of healthcare services to the innermost regions of the nation through various initiatives, AB-HWCs have surpassed 8.5 teleconsultations via e-Sanjeevni, where nearly 4 lakh teleconsultations take place on a daily basis,” the Health ministry said in a press note.

“More than 86.90 crore beneficiaries have been cumulatively screened for non-communicable diseases which include 29.95 Crore for Hypertension, 25.56 Crore for Diabetes, 17.44 Crore for Oral cancer, 8.27 Crore for Breast Cancer and 5.66 Crore for Cervical Cancer,” it added.

According to the Health ministry, in light of the expansion of AB-HWCs, the number of essential medicines has increased to 172 at Primary Health Centres – Health Wellness Centres (PHC-HWC) and 105 at Sub Health Centres – Health Wellness Centres (SHC-HWC), while essential diagnostics have also expanded to 63 at PHC-HWC and 14 at SHC-HWC.

AB-HWCs also hold wellness sessions on Yoga, Zumba, Cyclathons, and Walkathons while laying down guidelines on diet, physical activity, positive parenting, tobacco and alcohol cessation, among other aspects, in the interest of the well-being of the society at large.

More than 1.60 crore wellness sessions have been conducted at these centres, the statement added.

Additionally, AB-HWCs have also operationalized 2-3 centres in the urban sphere under the umbrella of Urban Primary Health Centre-Health and Wellness Centre (UPHC-HWC), strengthening outpatient care, and covering a population of 15,000 to 20,000.

Ayushman Bharat wellness centres aim to provide Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC), by expanding and strengthening the existing Reproductive & Child Health (RCH) and Communicable Diseases services and by including services related to Non-Communicable Diseases (common NCDs such as Hypertension, Diabetes and three common cancers of Oral, Breast and Cervix) and incrementally adding primary healthcare services for mental health, ENT, Ophthalmology, Oral health, Geriatric and Palliative care and Trauma care as well as health promotion and wellness activities like yoga.