News: Recently, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said that the country is planning to develop a container-based mobile hospital that can be moved by rail or air, to address the health emergency of the nation. Read the News here.
Let’s Understand in Simple Language:
The Central government is planning to develop two container-based mobile hospitals fully equipped with the latest medical facilities. These hospitals will be kept ready at all times for emergency use. This provision is under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission and can be swiftly mobilized by rail or air to respond to any calamity or disaster in the country.
The development of these types of hospitals is a move to make India’s health infrastructure more resilient and robust. Moreover, it aims to provide primary, secondary, tertiary, and digital healthcare systems that will prepare the country to face the challenges of pandemics in the future.
According to the minister, such initiatives will provide affordable, quality, and accessible healthcare to the masses. He also stated that such initiatives will provide universal access to basic diagnostic and treatment services and will take healthcare closer to communities in both rural and urban areas.
Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission:
In addition to the National Health Mission, the PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission is one of the largest pan-India schemes for strengthening healthcare infrastructure across the country. The aim of this mission is to fulfill the gaps in the public health infrastructure which includes critical care facilities and primary care in both urban and rural areas of the country.
The mission will provide support for 17,788 rural health and wellness centers in 10 high-focus states and also establish 11,024 urban health and wellness centers in all the States.
Through this, critical care services will be available in all the districts of the country with more than five lakh populations through exclusive critical care hospital blocks, while the remaining districts will be covered through referral services.
A network of laboratories and public health labs will be set up in every district so that the people have complete access to diagnostic services.
Moreover, under the scheme, a national institution for one health, four new national institutes for virology, a regional research platform for WHO southeast Asia Region, nine biosafety level-III laboratories, five new regional national centers for disease control will also be set up.
The scheme looks at providing medical treatment to the middle class and the poor segments of society through an all-around development of India’s healthcare system.
The PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission seeks to :
- Provide Effective Treatment.
- Elaborate Testing Network. and
- Develop World Class Pandemic Research Institutes.
Questions related to the topic:
Q. Health is often a neglected area by both the government and the poor and middle-class people. In what ways is the government trying to make the health of the masses a priority. Discuss. (15 M)
Q. Critically analyze the need for the new PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission. What additions will it bring compared to the National Health Mission? (15 M).
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