Target of starting 1.5 lakh Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres achieved: Mansukh Mandaviya

New Delhi: The government has achieved the target of starting 1.5 lakh Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres across the country, Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Thursday. Under the Ayushman Bharat, the government had set a target of transforming existing 1,50,000 lakh Sub-Health Centres (SHCs) and rural and urban Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across the country as AB-HWCs by December 2022 to bring health care closer to the community.

Lauding the development, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India's prosperity lies in its citizens' health, and these centres available in record numbers will play a big role in this.

This achieve will infuse new energy in new India, he tweeted.

In a tweet in Hindi, "50,000 Health & Wellness Centers! PM @NarendraModi ji had set a target of starting 1.5 lakh AB-HWCs in the country by December 2022. I am happy to inform that today we have achieved this target. These centers will definitely strengthen the primary health care of the citizens," Mandaviya tweeted in Hindi.

The detailed norms with respect to staff, equipment, facilities and funding while transforming the PHCs and SHCs to AB-HWCs was provided to the states and Union Territories via operational guidelines on Ayushman Bharat comprehensive primary health care through Health and wellness centres issued in 2018.

According to data updated by states and UTs on the HWC Portal till December 26, 29,94,26,521 screenings have been done for hypertension and 25,55,27,170 screenings done for diabetes at these AB-HWCs.

Similarly, these functional AB-HWCs have done 17,43,31,240 screenings for oral cancer, 5,66,37,370 screenings for cervical cancer in women and more than 8,27,00,336 screenings for breast cancer in women, it stated.