NEW DELHI, July 8: For 72-year-old Nirali Devi, an Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centre has brought healthcare services at her doorstep. Not only has it saved her from travelling 15-20 km to see a doctor, it also provides yoga sessions for preventive well-being.
“Earlier, I had to travel 15-20 kilometres to go see a doctor and get medicines. I had to first find someone to accompany me and then spend money for our travel to see the doctor,” the elderly woman said talking to reporters.
Due to the Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centre (AB-HWC) in the vicinity of her house, Nirali Devi can now just walk up to the clinic, consult senior doctors at the district hospitals through teleconsultation and get medicines from the centre itself.
Like Nirali Devi, several others have been immensely benefitted by these HWCs.
At another such centre in Mouddinpur village in Meerut district of Uttar Pradesh, villagers were seen practising yoga. The community health officer (CHO) at the HWC informed that four to five yoga sessions are conducted every week for preventive and promotive wellbeing.
She said the Mouddinpur HWC witnesses a footfall of around 500 every month. The patients get screened and receive suitable medicines for hypertension, diabetes and other ailments.
“We have been trained to screen patients for oral, breast and cervical cancer,” said the young and enthusiastic community health officer, who is one of the around 1.29 lakh CHOs working at these HWCs across the country.
Since the inception of the first HWC in the country in 2018 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the pace at which they are growing and finding acceptability in all states is defined by the staggering figure of nearly 179 crore recorded footfall at these centres in just around five years, according to health ministry officials.
The officials said more than 122.02 crore cumulative screenings for non-communicable diseases have been conducted at these centres, including 41.81 crore for hypertension, 36.16 crore for diabetes, 11.44 crore for breast cancer, 7.83 crore for cervical cancer and 24.75 crore for oral cancer.
Besides, more than 2.16 crore wellness sessions have been conducted with the participation of 23.83 crores individuals.
Teleconsultation services through the e-Sanjeevani platform are being leveraged at these AB-HWCs to provide specialist services closer to the community, enabling the delivery of uninterrupted services to the beneficiaries even in the remote and peripheral areas. As on June 30, 2023, more than 12.21 crores teleconsultations have been provided through e-Sanjeevani, the officials said.
The AB-HWCs are India’s commitment for achieving the promotive, preventive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative aspects of universal health coverage, with a goal to provide comprehensive primary healthcare, including both maternal and child health services and non-communicable diseases, as well as free essential drugs and diagnostic services through the centres located closer to the homes of people, one of the officials said. (PTI)
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