The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is the apex body in India for formulating and administering the rules and regulations for health care delivery. With a focus on enhancing the well-being of citizens, it oversees various health programs and policies, ensuring accessible and affordable healthcare services across the nation. From disease prevention to promoting family welfare initiatives, the ministry plays a pivotal role in safeguarding public health. Stay updated on the latest health policies, initiatives, and guidelines issued by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to prioritize your health and that of your loved ones. Explore comprehensive healthcare solutions backed by the ministry’s expertise and commitment to a healthier India.
Ni-kshay Mitra Programme:
- The Health Ministry introduced the “Ni-kshay Mitra” initiative, a unique “adopt a TB-patient” program, likely the only one of its kind globally.
- This program aims to integrate community support into India’s efforts to achieve the Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan, which seeks to eliminate TB by 2025.
- Ni-kshay Mitra donors can be cooperative societies, corporations, elected officials, individuals, institutions, NGOs, political parties, and partners who support health facilities or specific geographic areas in the fight against TB in coordination with district administrations.
- The National TB Elimination Programme provides free diagnostics, drugs, and nutritional support (Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana) to TB patients from both the public and private sectors.
Key Activities of the National TB Elimination Programme for SDG Goals by 2025:
- Development of tailored strategic plans for high-burden areas at the state and district levels.
- Offering free drugs and diagnostics, including for drug-resistant TB.
- Conducting active TB case-finding campaigns among vulnerable and co-morbid populations.
- Integration with Ayushman Bharat – Health & Wellness Centres to bring screening and treatment services closer to the community.
- Engaging the private sector, with incentives for reporting and managing TB cases.
- Expanding molecular diagnostic labs to sub-district levels.
- Implementing Ni-kshay Poshan Yojana to provide nutritional support to TB patients.
- Intensifying awareness campaigns to reduce stigma, raise community awareness, and encourage better health-seeking behaviour.
- Promoting a multi-sectoral approach with the involvement of various government ministries.
- Expanding TB preventive therapy to individuals in contact with pulmonary TB patients.
- Tracking notified TB cases through the Ni-kshay web-based portal.
Population Control
- The government is executing various initiatives to enhance the accessibility and quality of family planning services:
- Mission Parivar Vikas: This mission is focused on significantly increasing access to contraceptives and family planning services in 146 districts with high fertility rates (Total Fertility Rate of 3 and above) in seven states: Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, and Assam. These districts collectively represent 44% of the country’s population.
- Introduction of New Contraceptives: Injectable contraceptives and Centchroman have been added to the range of available choices.
- Post-partum IUCD (PPIUCD): A new method of Intrauterine Contraceptive Device (IUCD) insertion immediately after delivery has been introduced.
- Redesigned Contraceptive Packaging: Packaging for condoms, oral contraceptive pills (OCPs), and emergency contraceptive pills (ECPs) has been enhanced and revamped to boost demand for these products.
- Compensation Scheme for Sterilization Acceptors: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) provides compensation for lost wages to both the beneficiary and the service provider (and their team) involved in conducting sterilizations.
- Clinical Outreach Teams (COT) Scheme: Launched in 146 Mission Parivar Vikas districts, this scheme provides family planning services through mobile teams from accredited organizations, particularly in remote, underserved, and geographically challenging areas.
- Home Delivery of Contraceptives by ASHAs: Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) deliver contraceptives directly to beneficiaries’ doorsteps.
- ASHA-led Birth Spacing Scheme: ASHAs play a key role in ensuring proper spacing between births.
- Provision of Pregnancy Testing Kits: ASHAs are equipped with Pregnancy Testing Kits for use in communities.
- Family Planning Logistic Management and Information System (FP-LMIS): This dedicated software facilitates seamless forecasting, procurement, and distribution of family planning commodities across all levels of health facilities.
- National Family Planning Indemnity Scheme (NFPIS): Clients are insured in the event of complications, failure, or death following sterilization.
- Quality Assurance Committees: These committees are established in all states and districts to ensure the quality of care in family planning services.
- Enhanced Demand Generation Activities: A comprehensive media campaign is employed to generate increased demand for family planning services.
Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission
- The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission, launched on August 15, 2020, initially as a pilot project in six Union Territories (Andaman & Nicobar, Chandigarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli and Daman & Diu, Ladakh, Lakshadweep, and Puducherry), has several key features:
- Digital Health Ecosystem: It establishes a digital health ecosystem where every Indian citizen will receive a unique health ID, allowing them to maintain digitized health records. These records will include identifiers for doctors and healthcare facilities.
- Integration with Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana: The mission is integrated into the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
- Six Key Building Blocks: The mission is built on six essential components:
- HealthID
- DigiDoctor
- Health Facility Registry
- Personal Health Records
- e-Pharmacy
- Telemedicine
- Implementation by National Health Authority: The National Health Authority is responsible for implementing the Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission.
- Government Ownership: The core building blocks, such as the health ID, DigiDoctor, and Health Facility Registry, will be owned, operated, and maintained by the Government of India.
- Private Stakeholder Participation: Private stakeholders have the opportunity to integrate and create their own products for the market. However, essential activities and verifications will remain under government oversight.
- Health ID Card: Each Indian citizen will receive a Health ID card, which will store comprehensive medical information, including prescriptions, treatment history, diagnostic reports, and discharge summaries.
- Unique 14-Digit Health ID: The Health ID is a randomly generated 14-digit number. It serves the purpose of uniquely identifying individuals, authenticating them, and connecting their health records across various systems and stakeholders. Access to this data is allowed only with the informed consent of the individual.
- One-Time Data Access: Citizens will have the ability to grant their doctors and healthcare providers one-time access to their health data during hospital visits for consultations.
- The Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission is a significant step toward digitizing and centralizing healthcare information, making it more accessible and convenient for Indian citizens while maintaining privacy and security.
Additional Points: National Health Authority (NHA)
- The National Health Authority is the successor of the National Health Agency, which has been functioning as a registered society since May 2018. The National Health Agency was reconstituted as the National Health Authority in January 2019.
- The NHA is governed by a Governing Board chaired by the Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare and is headed by a full-time Chief Executive Officer (CEO).
- NHA has been entrusted with the role of designing a strategy, building technological infrastructure and implementing a “National Digital Health Mission” to create a National Digital Health Eco-system.
Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission
- The Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission is a scheme with the following key objectives:
- Strengthening Healthcare Infrastructure: The primary goal of this scheme is to enhance the healthcare infrastructure throughout the country.
- Filling Gaps in Public Health Infrastructure: It specifically aims to address deficiencies in public health infrastructure, particularly in critical care facilities and primary care in both urban and rural areas.
- Universal Access to Critical Care Services: The mission endeavours to ensure that critical care services are available in all districts with a population exceeding five lakh. This will be achieved through the establishment of dedicated critical care hospital blocks. In other districts, these services will be provided through referral systems.
- Comprehensive Diagnostic Services: The scheme seeks to provide the public with access to a wide range of diagnostic services through a network of laboratories spread across the country.
- Integrated Public Health Labs: Integrated public health laboratories will be established in all districts, further expanding access to diagnostic services.
- IT-Enabled Disease Surveillance System: A technologically advanced disease surveillance system will be established. This network will consist of surveillance laboratories at various levels, including block, district, regional, and national levels.
- Integration through Health Information Portal: All public health laboratories will be linked through the Integrated Health Information Portal. This portal’s coverage will extend to all states and Union Territories, ensuring seamless coordination and information exchange.
Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri – Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY)
The Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB PM-JAY) is a comprehensive healthcare scheme with the following key features:
- Financial Coverage: AB PM-JAY offers coverage of up to Rs. 5 lakhs per family per year for secondary and tertiary care hospitalization expenses.
- Beneficiary Eligibility: It aims to benefit over 10.74 crore vulnerable families, which translates to approximately 50 crore beneficiaries. Eligibility is determined based on the deprivation and occupational criteria outlined in the Socio-Economic Caste Census 2011 (SECC 2011) for both rural and urban areas.
- Cashless and Paperless Services: The scheme provides beneficiaries with cashless and paperless access to healthcare services at the point of service.
- Financial Protection: AB PM-JAY is designed to reduce catastrophic healthcare expenses that often lead to financial hardship and impoverishment due to hospitalization costs.
- Universal Access: The scheme ensures that entitled families can access the necessary quality healthcare services without facing financial barriers.
- World’s Largest Government-Financed Scheme: Once fully implemented, AB PM-JAY will become the world’s largest fully government-financed health protection scheme. It aligns with the goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Ayushman Bharat, as a broader initiative, encompasses various aspects of healthcare:
- Continuum of Care Approach: It covers promotive, preventive, curative, palliative, and rehabilitative aspects of Universal Healthcare. This includes establishing Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs) at the primary level and providing financial protection for accessing curative care at secondary and tertiary levels, involving both the public and private sectors.
- Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs): Ayushman Bharat aims to create 1,50,000 Health and Wellness Centers that bring healthcare services closer to people’s homes. These centers offer Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC), encompassing maternal and child health services, non-communicable disease management, and the provision of free essential drugs and diagnostic services.
- Launch of HWCs: The initiative began with the launch of the first Health and Wellness Centre in Jangla, Bijapur, Chhattisgarh, on April 14, 2018.
- Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY): PMJAY, a crucial component of Ayushman Bharat, provides health protection coverage to economically disadvantaged and vulnerable families for secondary and tertiary healthcare needs. Health and Wellness Centres play a vital role in creating awareness about PMJAY, screening for non-communicable diseases, and following up on hospitalization cases, among other functions.
- In essence, Ayushman Bharat is a holistic approach to healthcare, aiming to provide comprehensive services and financial protection to all citizens, with the ultimate goal of achieving Universal Health Coverage.
eSanjeevani
- eSanjeevani is an e-health initiative under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, aimed at revolutionizing healthcare delivery through digital means. Here are some key points about eSanjeevani:
- World’s Largest Government-Owned Telemedicine Platform: eSanjeevani holds the distinction of being the largest government-owned telemedicine platform globally. It operates as a digital alternative to traditional in-person medical consultations.
- Two Verticals: The initiative comprises two primary verticals:
- a. First Vertical: This vertical is dedicated to bridging the digital health divide between rural and urban areas, with a specific focus on supporting the Ayushman Bharat (AB) scheme. It aims to provide healthcare assistance to beneficiaries of the AB scheme in remote and underserved regions.
- b. Second Vertical (eSanjeevani OPD): The second vertical of eSanjeevani allows individuals to access doctor consultations conveniently from the comfort of their homes. It utilizes technology through smartphones, tablets, and laptops to facilitate these virtual consultations.
- Part of Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission: eSanjeevani is an integral component of the broader Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission, which seeks to leverage digital technology to enhance healthcare access and delivery across the nation.
- Significant User Base: The initiative has been successful in generating more than 45,000 unique IDs through the eSanjeevani application, indicating its growing popularity and adoption among users.
- In summary, eSanjeevani is a pioneering telemedicine platform in India that is making healthcare services more accessible, especially in rural and remote areas, and offering the convenience of online doctor consultations through digital devices. It plays a crucial role in the Ayushman Bharat Digital Health Mission’s efforts to transform healthcare delivery in the country.
FAQs
Q. What is the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare responsible for?
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is a government body entrusted with the task of formulating and implementing health policies and programs in the country. Its primary responsibility is to ensure the accessibility, affordability, and quality of healthcare services for all citizens. Additionally, it focuses on promoting family welfare, including maternal and child health, family planning, and reproductive health.
Q. What are some key initiatives taken by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare?
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare initiates various programs and schemes to address public health challenges and improve healthcare delivery. Some notable initiatives include the National Health Mission (NHM), Ayushman Bharat – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), National AIDS Control Program (NACP), National Tobacco Control Program (NTCP), and the Swachh Bharat Mission (Health).
Q. How does the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare ensure healthcare access for all citizens, especially in rural areas?
The Ministry implements several strategies to enhance healthcare access, particularly in rural and remote areas. These include the establishment of primary health centers (PHCs), sub-health centers (SHCs), and community health centers (CHCs) to provide basic healthcare services closer to the communities. Additionally, the Ministry promotes telemedicine, mobile health clinics, and various health awareness campaigns to bridge the gap between urban and rural healthcare services.
Q. What role does the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare play in disease prevention and control?
Disease prevention and control are paramount objectives of the Ministry. It undertakes surveillance, monitoring, and control measures for communicable and non-communicable diseases through various national programs. Vaccination drives, disease awareness campaigns, sanitation programs, and the implementation of regulatory measures such as the Food Safety and Standards Act are some of the strategies employed to prevent and control diseases.
Q. How does the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare promote family welfare and reproductive health?
The Ministry places significant emphasis on family welfare and reproductive health through comprehensive family planning programs and reproductive healthcare services. It ensures the availability of contraceptives, promotes family planning awareness, and provides maternal and child health services, including antenatal care, skilled birth attendance, and postnatal care. Moreover, the Ministry advocates for gender equality, women’s empowerment, and the elimination of harmful practices affecting maternal and child health.
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