Centre gives target to states to make 1.1 lakh Ayushman Bharat-HWCs functional by March-end

The health ministry, on February 17, asked states to ensure operationalisation of 1.10 lakh Ayushman Bharat-Health and Welfare Centres across the country by the end of March this year.

This, in effect, means that these HWCs must be fully functional and equipped to dispense free medicines, provide free diagnostics and all prescribed health packages including yoga and healthy living sessions, said the government.

In a review meeting with states, health secretary Rajesh Bhushan also asked them to ensure that all the centres are adequately equipped to function as effective and vibrant teleconsultation “spokes”.

This would include ensured availability of internet connectivity, desktop or laptop and required trained and skilled personnel including community health officers.

The ministry said that the states have also been instructed to ensure that all the HWCs are mapped to a “hub” which could be a district hospital or district medical college hospital.

“For each such spoke, states must ensure that a base minimum number of teleconsultation sessions are conducted, starting from today,” said a ministry statement.

As part of the Centre’s comprehensive primary health care plan under Ayushman Bharat, sub-health centres and primary health centres are being strengthened as HWCs.

The HWCs are being projected as centres for providing preventive, promotive, rehabilitative and curative care for an expanded range of services encompassing reproductive and child health services, communicable diseases, non-communicable diseases, palliative care and elderly care, oral health, ENT care, and basic emergency care.

Trained officials such as mid-level health care provider or community health officers are being placed at HWC-SHC and medical officer at PHCs.  The government says that HWCs will be crucial in enhancing the continuum of care and telehealth or referrals.

In the meeting, the Centre also reiterated the advice to states on expediting utilisation of funds released under the emergency COVID-19 response package-II for strengthening healthcare infrastructure across the country as the funds will lapse on March 31 this year.

The ministry said that states were reminded to accelerate the completion of projects under the package so that subsequent instalments of funds can be released by the Centre.