Affordable, quality healthcare priority of central government: JP Nadda

New Delhi, April 21 (IANS) Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Monday said that providing affordable and quality healthcare to every poor person in the country is a priority of the central government and the two pillars of Ayushman Bharat initiative – Ayushman Arogya Mandir and AB PMJAY (Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) — are a result of a very well-thought process.

Addressing the gathering during an event in the national capital, the minister highlighted that the government’s expenditure on healthcare has increased from 29 per cent in 2014 to 48 per cent today, leading to decline in out-of-pocket expenditure of people.

He stated that screening of communicable and non-communicable diseases in Ayushman Arogya Mandir and expanding the package of services being provided there has helped in providing preventive and promotive healthcare and addressing the growing concern of lifestyle diseases.

“Health facilities are being encouraged to undertake self-assessment under the Indian Public Health Standards 2022 and National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS)”, Nadda stated.

The Union Health Minister also highlighted the need for enhancing capacity of health administrators to ensure timely and effective decision making, working on the program implementation plans, enhancing the capacity of ASHA workers and community health workers, strengthening and institutionalising the hub-and-spoke model of digital health intervention and monitoring and assessment of health impacts.

Nadda urged the young officers to have an impact survey done of the benefits that have accrued from the programmes of the Health Ministry at the ground level.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr V.K. Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog stated that the underlying motivation behind today’s paradigm for health is achieving the goal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) to ensure that every citizen has access to quality healthcare without financial hardship.

He stated that health coverage today not only entails curative treatment but also promotive, preventive, palliative, rehabilitative and therapeutic.

“As many as 90 per cent of essential interventions for UHC can be delivered through primary healthcare systems” and “an estimated 75 per cent of projected health gains under the SDGs can be achieved through primary healthcare system,” Paul added.

He highlighted that countries with strong primary healthcare have higher life expectancy, better health outcomes, lower medication use and overall lower medical costs. Dr Paul highlighted that thanks to AB PMJAY, hospitalisation rates in India has increased by 40 per cent.

—IANS

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