1.5 lakh health centres to be operationalized by 2022: Anupriya S. Patel, MoS Health & Family Welfare

As part of Aushman Bharat, 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres are to be operationalized by 2022 to provide primary care services backed by robust IT systems, said Ms. Anupriya S. Patel, Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare at an ASSOCHAM event held in New Delhi on October 16, 2018.

The government has launched its ambitious Ayushman Bharat with its two components of Health and Wellness centers for comprehensive Primary health care with a continuum of care approach and financial protection for secondary and territory care hospitalisation. Ayushman Bharat represents a transition from segmented, fragmented and sectoral programme implementation models towards a comprehensive, holistic, need based healthcare system, said Ms. Anupriya S. Patel, Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare said at an ASSOCHAM 98^th Annual Meeting

Ayushman Bharat seeks to undertake path breaking interventions to holistically address health at primary, secondary and territory care level. It encapsulates a progression towards promotive, preventive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative aspects of universal healthcare through health and wellness centers for access to comprehensive primary care an provision of financial protection for accessing curative care at secondary and tertiary levels through engagement of both public and private sector. Ayushman Bharat adopts a care continuum approach, said Ms Patel.

PMJAY will improve access to quality secondary and tertiary care procedures to bottom 40% of the  population covering about 50 crore beneficiaries. 33 states have signed MOU under PM-JAY and 26 states have launched implementation. Over 40,000 applications have been received for hospital empanelment and so far over 14,000 hospitals have been empanelled or are in the process of empanelment and as on 12^th October, 2018, 148947 e-cards have been issued with over 70,000 beneficiaries admitted in hospitals, added Ms. Patel .

‘Indian healthcare sector is reportedly one of the fastest growing industries, is expected to advance at a CAGR of 22% during 2016-2022 to reach US$ 372 billion by 2022. There is a sea of opportunity for healthcare services penetration in India’.