Campaign to provide health services to every intended beneficiary will help achieve universal health coverage: President

New Delhi: Optimum delivery of health schemes to every intended beneficiary, including those in the last mile, will lead to achieving the goal of Universal health coverage, President Droupadi Murmu said on Wednesday.

Launching the 'Ayushman Bhavah' campaign, Murmu said it is a comprehensive nationwide healthcare initiative that aims to provide saturation coverage of healthcare services in every village and town in the country.

"I have been told that multi-ministerial approach is being taken to implement the programme. To achieve such a big target everyone's cooperation is critical," the president said.

"No person should be left behind and no village should be left behind i.e. 100 per cent people can avail health services. This goal will make our country successful in achieving the objective of Universal health coverage in true sense," the President said.

The prime minister has given central importance to Mahatma Gandhi's idea of 'Antyodaya' in his activities. This campaign to provide health services to the last person in the last village is inspired by the ideal of 'Antyodaya', the president said.

The president noted that during the G20 meeting members nations put forth a clear road map for the G20 2023 action plan for accelerating progress on the sustainable development goals.

"The government of India has set localised sustainable development goals in order to achieve the UN's SDG 2030. Under this, a major focus is on development works at the rural level," she said.

Village 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, she said.

The campaign, which has been launched on Tuesday, will be implemented during the 'Seva Pakhwada' starting from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on September 17 and continue till October 2, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said.

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.  "Its core objective is to extend comprehensive healthcare coverage to every village and town, transcending geographical barriers and ensuring that no one is left behind," the minister said.

This synergistic approach aims to saturate coverage of health services through its three components -- Ayushman-Apke Dwar 3.0, Ayushman Melas at Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) and Ayushman Sabhas in every village and panchayat.

Through the Ayushman Apke Dwar 3.0, initiative the government aims to provide Ayushman cards to remaining eligible beneficiaries enrolled under the PM-JAY scheme, ensuring that more individuals have access to essential health services.

Ayushman Melas at HWCs and CHCs will facilitate the creation of ABHA IDs (Health IDs) and issuance of Ayushman Bharat Cards. They will also offer early diagnosis, comprehensive primary health care services, tele-consultation with specialists, and appropriate referrals, Mandaviya said.

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.

The Ayushman Bhavah 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.