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In a bid to strengthen the healthcare infrastructure across the country, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday launched PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission in Varanasi.
The objective of this mission is to to fill the gaps in public health infrastructure, especially in critical care facilities and primary care in both urban and rural areas. The Prime Minister's office (PMO) said, it will be in addition to the National Health Mission.
It will provide support for 17,788 rural Health and Wellness Centres in 10 high focus states. Further, 11,024 urban Health and Wellness Centres will be established in all the states.
Critical care services will be available in all the districts of the country with more than 5 lakh population, through Exclusive Critical Care Hospital Blocks, while the remaining districts will be covered through referral services, PMO said in a release.
“People will have access to a full range of diagnostic services in the Public Healthcare system through a network of laboratories across the country. Integrated Public Health Labs will be set up in all the districts."
PMO also confirmed a National Institution for One Health, 4 New National Institutes for Virology, a Regional Research Platform for WHO South-East Asia Region, 9 Biosafety Level III laboratories, 5 New Regional National Centre for Disease Control will be set up under it.
It also aims to build an IT enabled disease surveillance system by developing a network of surveillance laboratories at block, district, regional and national levels, in Metropolitan areas
PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission also aims at the Operationalisation of 17 new Public Health Units and strengthening 33 existing Public Health Units at Points of Entry, for effectively detecting, investigating, preventing, and combating Public Health Emergencies and Disease Outbreaks. It will also work towards building up a trained frontline health workforce to respond to any public health emergency.
(With inputs from agencies)
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