State bags award in healthcare sector
Source: Chronicle News Service
Imphal, December 11 2022:
As the state has achieved yet another health award for achieving the target for operationalisation of AB-Health & Wellness Centre at the National Health Minister's Conclave on Universal Health Coverage Day, 2022, state's health minister Dr S Ranjan has proposed a mechanism for offline verification of PMJAY beneficiaries in remote areas where there is no internet connectivity.
The award was handed over to Dr Sapam Ranjan on the closing day of the two-day event held in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.
Union health minister Dr Mansukh Mandaviya and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath presented the award.
It may be mentioned that the state has also been honoured as the best state for tele-consultation among the small states of India on the first day.
The Government of India has so far approved 345, Sub-Health Centres (SHCs), 85 PHCs and 9 UPHCs, out of which 308 SHCs, 87 PHCs and 9 UPHCs have been made operational in the state as on December 6, 2022.The ministerial team from the state also had a detailed discussion with the union health minister on various health programmes including PMJAY with special reference to the state.
Speaking to The People's Chronicle over the phone, Dr Ranjan revealed that the conclave discussed issues and proposals on Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres, 15th Finance Commission grants, PMJAY card generation, status of states on Vector Borne Diseases and ways to improve the status.
During the conclave, he brought up the issue faced by the state in verification of beneficiaries for generation of PMJAY cards, which is done online, in remote areas where there is no internet connectivity.
He proposed for a mechanism to facilitate offline verification of beneficiaries to ensure better outreach of the scheme in remote areas, where the scheme is most needed.
The ministry officials accepted his proposal and assured of coming up with the mechanism soon.
He further urged the ministry to increase the threshold of PMJAY beneficiaries for the state even though the state government is providing somewhat similar benefits to poor families through the Chief Ministergee Hakshelgee Tengbang (CMHT).
He informed the gathering how several eligible families were left out from the SECC Census and urged for a provision to allow states to add more beneficiaries as per the state's record, the health minister conveyed over the phone.
The minister gave the credit for realising the target of improving healthcare service at the grassroots level to the people of the state for their support.
He also informed the gathering about the CM's Health for All scheme, which provides door to door free screening service for lifestyle and non-communicable diseases and assured that the HWCs set up by the government will help in improving public health and policy making in the health sector.