National AYUSH Mission to include wellness centres

The Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Saturday approved the inclusion of AYUSH Health and Wellness Centre (HWCs) component of Ayushman Bharat in National AYUSH Mission (NAM).

The proposal entails an expenditure of Rs 3399.35 crore for operationalization of AYUSH HWCs within a period of five years, from financial years 2019-20 to 2023-24.

The operationalization of HWCs component under NAM will achieve objectives such as establishment of a holistic wellness model based on AYUSH principles and practices focusing on preventive promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative healthcare by integration with the existing public health care system.

It will also provide informed choice to the public by making the AYUSH services available. The services include community awareness about lifestyle, diet, Yoga, medicinal plants and provision of medicines for selected conditions as per the strength of AYUSH systems.

The Ministry of AYUSH, in consultation with States and Union Territories, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and other line Ministries has also proposed models for operationalization of 12,500 AYUSH Health and Wellness Centres across the country.

Approximately 10,000 dispensaries and 2,500 sub-health centres (SHCs) will be upgraded. It will enhance accessibility to achieve universal health coverage for affordable treatment, reduce the burden on secondary and tertiary health care facilities.

Among other things, it will also reduce out of pocket expenditure due to "self-care" model and validate a holistic wellness model in target areas.The National Health Policy 2017 has advocated mainstreaming the potential of AYUSH systems --Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha, Sows-rigpa and Homoeopathy -- within a pluralistic system of Integrative healthcare.

The Government of India in February 2018 decided that 1.5 lakh health and wellness Centres would be created by transforming existing Sub health Centres and Primary Health Centres to deliver Comprehensive Primary Health Care.

It was further decided that Ministry of AYUSH will operationalize 10 per cent of the total sub-health Centres as Health and Wellness Centres i.e. 12,500 under Ayushman Bharat.

The vision of the proposal is to establish a holistic wellness model based on AYUSH principles and practices, to empower masses for "self-care" to reduce the disease burden and out of pocket expenditure and to provide an informed choice of the needy public. IANS