Over 50,000 Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres operational across country

More than 50,000 Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs), which target to provide communities closer to their homes with primary health facilities, are now operational across the nation and have seen more than 28.10 crore footfalls, the Ministry of Health said on Friday.

1.5 lakh AB-HWCs are to be set up by December 2022, the ministry said.

With more than 50,000 centres being developed, one-third of the goal has been accomplished. This has contributed to increased access, to quality primary healthcare services, it said in a statement.

"This was made possible by the joint efforts of the Center and the States/UTs in planning, monitoring at all levels, process standardisation, adaptation flexibility provided by the States/UTs, and building on the health systems developed so far," said Minister of Health Mr. Harsh Vardhan.

In these challenging times, he thanked frontline health staff, medical officers, community health officers and ASHAs for their devotion to the cause of delivering quality primary health care services and helping millions of people with the essential services.

"They are the foundation of the delivery system of healthcare. Their contribution during the time of COVID was phenomenal,' said Mr. Vardhan.

In initiatives such as risk communication, contact tracking, community screening and early detection of incidents, and the seamless provision of non-COVID critical health services to ensure the safety of vulnerable groups, such as new-borns, the elderly and those with chronic conditions, the Health and Wellness Centres have extended supported.

There are now 50,025 operating AB-HWCs in 678 districts, including 27,890 sub-health centres, 18,536 primary health centres and 3,599 urban primary centres.

Together over 28.10 crore footfalls have been experienced by these AB-HWCs, of which over 53% are women seeking treatment at these centres.

Disclaimer: This information has been collected through secondary research and IBEF is not responsible for any errors in the same.