President Droupadi Murmu launched the ‘Ayushman Bhav’ campaign on September 13. Ayushman Bhav is a comprehensive nationwide healthcare initiative that aims to provide saturation coverage of healthcare services in every village and town in the country. This initiative builds upon the success of the Ayushman Bharat programme and signifies a paradigm shift in healthcare services.
How will it be implemented?
• The campaign is aligned with the vision of creating “healthy villages” and “healthy gram panchayats”, laying the foundation for achieving Universal Health Coverage in the country.
• It embodies a whole-of-nation and whole-of-society approach. It unites government sectors, civil society organisations and communities under a common mission to ensure that every individual receives essential health services without any disparity or exclusion.
• The campaign will be implemented during the ‘Seva Pakhwada’ (fortnight long service period) from September 17 to October 2.
• The campaign is a collaborative effort spearheaded by gram panchayats in coordination with the department of health, other government departments, and local elected bodies in rural and urban areas.
This synergistic approach aims to saturate coverage of health services through its three components:
i) Ayushman-Apke Dwar 3.0: Through the Ayushman Apke Dwar 3.0 initiative, the government aims to provide Ayushman cards to remaining eligible beneficiaries enrolled under Pradhan Mantri-Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) scheme, ensuring that more individuals have access to essential health services.
ii) Ayushman Melas: Ayushman Melas at Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) will facilitate the creation of Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) IDs and issuance of Ayushman Bharat cards. They will also offer early diagnosis, comprehensive primary healthcare services, tele-consultation with specialists, and appropriate referrals.
iii) Ayushman Sabhas: Under the Ayushman Sabhas, gatherings in every village and panchayat will play a pivotal role in distributing Ayushman cards, generating ABHA IDs, and raising awareness about vital health schemes and disease conditions, such as non-communicable diseases, tuberculosis. sickle cell disease, as well as blood donation and organ donation drives.
• Panchayats that successfully saturate the health schemes will earn the prestigious title of ‘Ayushman Gram Panchayat’ or ‘Ayushman Urban Ward’, symbolising their dedication to equitable healthcare provision.
