Lok Sabha Question No. 287 (STARRED), answered on 2021-12-17
Subject: Healthcare Facilities to Middle Class
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Sunita Duggal, Vishnu Dutt Sharma

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO.287 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 17 TH  DECEMBER, 2021

## HEALTHCARE FACILITIES TO MIDDLE CLASS

## *287. SHRIMATI SUNITA DUGGAL: SHRI VISHNU DATT SHARMA:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) the details of healthcare services provided to the middle class section of society by the Government;
- (b)  whether  the  Government  has  rolled  out  any  specific  scheme  to  provide  healthcare facilities to the middle class section of society on the lines of Employees' State Insurance Corporation (ESI) and Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS) facilities;
- (c) if so, the details thereof; and
- (d) if not, whether the Government proposes to launch any such scheme to address the healthcare needs of middle class section of society?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. MANSUKH MANDAVIYA)

- (a) to (d) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 287* FOR 17 TH  DECEMBER, 2021

(a) to (d) 'Public Health and Hospitals' is a State subject, the primary responsibility of providing healthcare services to the people including the middle class section of society lies  with  the  State  Governments.  However,  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family  Welfare, Government  of  India  provides  technical  and  financial  support  to  the  States/UTs  to strengthen  the  public  healthcare  facilities.  Support  is  provided  to  states/UTs  under  the National Health Mission (NHM) for universal access to equitable, affordable & quality health  care  services  to  all  citizens  of  the  country  including  middle  class  sections  of society based on the requirements posed by states/UTs in their Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) and within their overall resource envelope. Further, under NHM,  several  initiatives  for  strengthening  the  health  systems  to  provide  healthcare services to people include:

-  Ayushman Bharat - Health & Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs):  1,50,000 Sub- Health Centres (SHCs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs) are being transformed into Ayushman Bharat- Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs)  to  deliver  twelve  packages  of  Comprehensive  Primary  Health  Care (CPHC)  that  includes  preventive,  promotive,  curative,  palliative  and  rehabilitative services which are universal. Another essential component of AB-HWCs is the roll out of tele-consultation services through 'eSanjeevani'.
-  National Free Drugs Initiative provides essential drugs based on the level of public health facilities free of cost to all who access these facilities. States are assisted to set up robust IT backed procurement, quality assurance, warehouses, and supply chain systems that are benchmarked for key management processes with the best practices in this field.
-  Free Diagnostics Initiative (FDI) provides support to States/UTs to provide a set of essential  diagnostics  at  various  levels  of  care,  free  of  cost  (14  tests  at  Sub  Centre/ Health and Wellness Centre level, 63 tests at PHC/ PHC-HWC level, 97 tests at CHC level, 111 tests at SDH level and 134 tests at DH level).
-  National  Ambulance  Services  (NAS)  supports  emergency  medical  services  in States/UTs through a functional National Ambulance Service (NAS) network linked with a centralised toll-free number 108/102.
-  National Mobile Medical Units (NMMU) facilitates access to public health care at the  doorstep  particularly  to  people  living  in  remote,  difficult,  under-served  and unreached areas to provide primary care services.
-  Further, initiatives such as Mission Parivar Vikas, Weekly  Iron Folic Acid Supplementation  (WIFS),  Pradhan  Mantri  Surakshit  Matritva  Abhiyan  (PMSMA), Surakshit  Matritva  Aashwasan  (SUMAN),  Janani  Suraksha  Yojana  (JSY),  Facility Based  Newborn  Care (FBNC),  Social Awareness and Actions to Neutralize Pneumonia Successfully (SAANS), Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) etc. are  supported  to  increase  access  to  quality  healthcare  services.  Support  is  also provided to strengthen Universal Immunization programme and introduction of new vaccines etc.

The  other  important  health  programmes/schemes  with  the  focus  to  strengthen  the health care systems to improve access are:

-  Fifteen  Finance  Commission:  Health  sector  grants  through  local  government has recommended grants aggregating to Rs. 70,051 Crores over the period of five years (2021-2026) through local government to strengthen the healthcare system in states.
-  Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-AB-HIM) with an outlay of Rs. 64,180 Crores aims to fill critical gaps in public health infrastructure. It  is  a  Centrally  Sponsored  Scheme  with  some  Central  Sector  components.  The Centrally  Sponsored Scheme  (CSS)  Components includes support  for  infrastructure development for Sub-Health Centres, Urban Health and Wellness Centres, Support for 3382  BPHUs,  Integrated  District  Public  Health  Laboratories  and  Critical  Care Hospital Blocks.
-  A Centrally Sponsored Scheme for 'Establishment of new Medical Colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals', under the ministry has approved establishment of 157 new medical colleges in three phases. Out of these, 70 medical colleges  have  become  functional  till  date.  This  Scheme  aims  to  increase  the availability  of  health  professionals,  reduce  disparities  in  the  existing  geographical distribution of medical colleges in the country, promote affordable medical education in the country and improve tertiary care in the Government sector which will benefit all citizens of the country including middle class sections of society.
-  "Pradhan  Mantri  Swasthya  Suraksha  Yojana  (PMSSY)  under  the  ministry  aims  to correct regional imbalances in the availability of affordable/reliable tertiary healthcare services  and  also  to  augment  facilities  for  quality  medical  education  in  the  country benefitting  all  citizens  of  the  country  including  middle  class  sections  of  society. PMSSY, a Central Sector Scheme, has two components  - setting up of AIIMS-like institutions; and up-gradation of existing State Government Medical College/Institutions.  As  on  date,  establishment  of  22  AIIMS  and  75  upgradation projects of GMCs/Institutes have been sanctioned under PMSSY.