Lok Sabha Question No. 4 (STARRED), answered on 2024-02-02
Subject: Establishment of Smart Healthcare Centres and Smart Labs
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Ganesh Singh

## GOVERNMENT OFINDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE

## LOKSABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 4 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2 ND FEBRUARY, 2024

## ESTABLISHMENT OFSMART HEALTHCARE CENTRES AND SMART LABS

## †*4. SHRI GANESH SINGH:

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

- (a) whether any scheme is being implemented/ proposed to be implemented by the Government to establish smart healthcare centres and smart diagnostics laboratories in all districts across the country to facilitate people including poor and lower income groups;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether any proposal is likely to be considered by the Government to provide the said facilities across all districts of various States/UTs including Satna district in Madhya Pradesh; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof along with the procedure to be followed for setting up of such centres and labs?

## 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. 4 FOR 2 ND FEBRUARY, 2024

(a) to (d): In February 2018, the Government of India announced establishment of 1,50,000 Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) [now renamed as Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAMs)] across the country by December 2022. A total of 1,64,043 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs have been established and operationalized till 15.01.2024.

AAMs are equipped with latest IT infrastructure and digital ecosystem to function in the peripheral areas. The various IT initiatives are as follows:

i. Laptops and Tablets with software support have been provided to Community Health officers (CHOs), ANMs and smart phones to ASHAs as part of digitization of the health information.

ii. Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) provides a digital ecosystem with creation of Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA), a unique Health ID for every individual which maintains the electronic health records of patient enabling seamless movement of patient across the hospitals for referrals to higher centres as well as referral back after discharge.

iii.The teleconsultation services, available at operational Ayushman Arogya Mandir, enables people to access the specialist services closer to their homes addressing concerns of physical accessibility, saving cost to care, shortage of service providers and to ensure continuum of care.

iv. A dedicated centralized web portal, 'Ayushman Arogya Mandir portal' is used at District/State/National level for real time overview and monitoring of state/district-wise performance of the facilities.

v. Other programme specific portals like RCH (Reproductive & Child health) portal/ANMOL (ANM online) app for mother and child care, NCD (Non-communicable diseases) application for screening and management of cases with hypertension, diabetes and three common cancers, NIKSHAY portal under NTEP (National TB Elimination Prog.), DVDMS (Drugs and Vaccine Distribution Management System) portal for drug & consumables management, and HMIS (Health Management Information System) portal for data reporting & monitoring are currently used at the Ayushman Arogya Mandir.

This Ministry supports 'Free Diagnostics Service Initiative' (FDSI) programme under NHM with the aim to provide accessible and affordable pathological and radiological diagnostics services closer to the community which in turn reduces the Out-of-Pocket Expenditure (OOPE). Diagnostics services are provided free of cost at all levels of public health facilities (14 tests at Sub Centers, 63 at Primary Health Centers, 97 at Community Health Centres, 111 test at Sub District Hospitals and 134 tests at District Hospitals).

Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) with some Central Sector Components (CS) having an outlay of Rs. 64,180 cr for the scheme period (2021-22 to 2025-26), envisages a new generation of reforms to integrate and strengthen health service delivery and public health action including health research so that the communities are Atmanirbhar in managing such pandemics or health crisis.

Under the PM-ABHIM, Government is providing support to all the States & UTs for establishment/strengthening of 'Integrated Public Health Laboratories' in all 730 districts for Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of the laboratory services to support programmatic scale-up.

IPHL will perform all the required clinical and public health diagnostic tests as per updated Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) under one roof. The IPHL will support routine surveillance and outbreak investigation of infectious diseases.

The District Integrated Public Health Laboratory unit would also serve as the apex of a network to link labs with block, state and regional public health and veterinary labs to support multi-sectoral collaboration for clinical management and public health surveillance.

Under PM-ABHIM, Government is providing support to States/UTs for establishment of 3382 Block Public Health Units in 8 High Focus States and 3 Hill states. The BPHU would encompass a Block Public Health Laboratory, and a Block HMIS Cell.

The Fifteenth Finance Commission (FC-XV) has recommended grants through local governments for specific components of the health sector to the tune of Rs 70,051 crores and the same have been accepted by the Union Government. These grants for health through Local Governments will be spread over the five-year period from FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26 and will facilitate strengthening of health system at the grass-root level.

The XV-FC health grants are also utilised to strengthen the diagnostic infrastructure at SHC. PHC and UPHC to achieve the IPHS and CPHC norms so that the intended comprehensive primary healthcare could be delivered.

Support is provided under XV-FC to establish Block Public Health Units (BPHUs) across all the blocks of 28 states for providing public health functions such as surveillance and detection of outbreaks, advanced diagnostics services for clinical and public health functions and also for data compilation, analysis, and feedback, through a Health Management Information System.

For Satna district, approval has been given for establishment of 4 BPHUs & 1 IPHL under PM-ABHIM at a cost of Rs. 448.84 Lakhs and for 2 BPHUs under XV-FC at a cost of Rs. 161.92 Lakhs.

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