More than 50,000 Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs), which strive at delivering primary health care assistance to communities nearer to their homes, are currently functioning across the nation and have noticed over 28.10 crore footfalls, of which over 53% are women who desired care at these centers. More than 6.43 crore people have been screened for hypertension, 5.23 crore for diabetes, and 6.14 crore people for cancers. About 1.0 crore people are being provided free drugs for hypertension treatment and about 60 lakh for diabetes, the government said.
The 50,025 operational AB-HWCs spread across 678 districts include 27,890 sub-health centers, 18,536 primary health centers, and 3,599 urban primary health centers.
The ministry said 1.5 lakh AB-HWCs are to be established by December 2022.
With more than 50,000 centers having been inaugurated, one-third of the target has been met. This has directed to improved access to accessible primary healthcare services, it said in a statement.
“This has been possible due to the joint efforts of the Center and the States/UTs in planning, monitoring at all levels, standardization of processes, the flexibility for adaptation provided to the States/UTs, and building on the health systems created thus far,” Health Minister Harsh Vardhan said.
He thanked frontline health workers, medical officers, community health officers, and ASHAs for their commitment to the cause of delivering comprehensive primary health care assistance and for supporting millions of people with essential services in these challenging times.
“They are the backbone of the healthcare delivery system. Their contribution during the COVID period has been exemplary,” Vardhan said.
The Union health ministry stated that the HWCs have also assisted in covid-19 management—in interventions such as risk communication, contact tracing, community surveillance and early identification of cases, and provisioning of non-covid essential health services for ensuring the protection of vulnerable groups, such as the newborn, elderly and those with co-morbidities. Over 30 lakhs of wellness sessions have been completed at these centers, including yoga, Zumba, community walks, Shirodhara, meditation, etc.