10,252 Health and Wellness Centres become operational

Speed Post News Network

New Delhi : The first Health and Wellness Centre (HWC) under Ayushman Bharat was inaugurated by Prime Minister  Narendra Modi at Jangla in Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, on April 14, 2018. Since then 10,252 HWCs have been operationalised.

The states of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala lead the way with the highest number of HWCs under Ayushman Bharat. Andhra Pradesh has operationalised 1,361 HWCs, Tamil Nadu 1,318, UP 912, Karnataka 700, and Kerala 678 HWCs. A total of 1,33,84,332 women and men, thirty years of age and above have been screened for common Non Communicable Diseases (NCDs) at these HWCs.

The National Health Policy 2017 recommended strengthening the delivery of primary health care through establishment of “Health and Wellness Centers” (HWCs) as the platform to deliver Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC).

Ayushman Bharat (AB) is India’s path to Universal Health Coverage. It signifies a move from selective health care to the delivery of a comprehensive range of services spanning preventive, promotive, curative (both outpatient and hospitalisation) rehabilitative and palliative care. It aims to undertake path breaking interventions to holistically address health at primary, secondary and tertiary level, according to a PIB release.