Submit action plan for Health & Wellness Centres: Govt to States

Having set the target of establishing 1,50,000 Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) across the country by 2022 under Ayushman Bharat scheme, the Union Health Ministry has now asked all the States to develop State specific action plans indicating timelines.

In the first year of the implementation, States have been asked to prioritise all Primary Health Centres as HWCs in the selected blocks and districts, where infrastructure and human resources is already in place.

Aspirational districts have to be taken on priority basis, said a senior Health Ministry official.

Concurrent strengthening of Sub Health Centres as HWC (HWC-SHC) would also be undertaken in a phased manner so as to meet the commitment of operationalizing 1,50,000 HWC by 2022.

The official said that the screening, prevention, control and management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), which is one of the packages of expanded services under CPHC, should be widely offered at HWC-SHC in order to address the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases.