Following the Central government’s initiative to co-locate AYUSH facilities at Primary Health Centres (PHC), Community Health Centres (CHC) and District Hospitals (DH) to provide choice to patients for different systems of medicines under a single window, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharati Pravin Pawar in her written reply in the Rajya Sabha on Tuesday noted that AYUSH services had been allocated at 470 DHs and 3,149 CHCs, among other health centres, as on September 30, 2023.
She added that AYUSH has been integrated with various new and upcoming All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) established under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
“A Joint Coordination Committee comprising members from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the Ministry of Ayush has been constituted to work out modalities for effective and expeditious integration of AYUSH in new and upcoming AIIMS. Wellness-related activities like yoga, cycling and meditation are conducted in Ayushman Arogya Mandirs,” the Minister added.
She noted that as of the end of January 2024, the total number of wellness sessions conducted, including yoga, were 3.10 crore under the Ayushman Arogya Mandir, including the ‘Ayushman Melas’.
In February 2018, the Government of India announced the establishment of 1,50,000 Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres, now renamed Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAM), across the country by December 2022.
The Ministry noted that a total of 1,64,478 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs had been established and operationalised till January-end by transforming existing Sub-Health Centres and PHCs in rural and urban areas to deliver the expanded range of comprehensive primary healthcare services, with a complete package of 12 services that includes preventive, promotive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative services, which are universal, free, and closer to the community.
“The teleconsultation services, available at operational AAMs, 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. Total teleconsultation conducted at Ayushman Arogya Mandir including Ayushman Melas are 19.41 crore, as on January-end,” the written reply noted.
