Over 5 lakh beneficiary cards made in four days under Ayushman Bhav campaign: Govt

More than five lakh Ayushman Bharat beneficiary cards have been made within just four days under the Ayushman Bhav campaign, Union Health Secretary Sudhansh Pant said on Thursday.

He further said that over 20 lakh Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) IDs have been generated while footfall of more than 20 lakh have been registered at the Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centres and Community Health Centres.

The Ayushman Bhav campaign, launched on September 13 by President Droupadi Murmu, is a comprehensive nationwide healthcare initiative that aims to provide saturation coverage of healthcare services in every village and town of the country.

It is being implemented during the 'Seva Pakhwada' (fortnight of service) which began on Prime Minister Narendra Modi's birthday on September 17 and will continue till October 2.

''This campaign is going to be a game-changer as far as saturation of health services is concerned at the primary and secondary levels. The progress in the first three days has been much beyond our expectations. This is a very ambitious programme of the Government of India and all the states and Union Territories are contributing to it wholeheartedly,'' Pant told PTI.

''It is very important for the saturation of healthcare services at the primary and secondary levels. We already have a very strong network of health and wellness centres at the primary level. At the secondary level, we have a network of community health centres and district hospitals,'' he said. The health secretary said this campaign has been specifically designed to achieve complete saturation of health services at primary and secondary levels.

''In just four days, more than five lakh Ayushman cards have been generated and now we expect that the pace will increase further,'' he stated.

Pant further said that in the first three days, approximately 39,000 melas have been organised at the Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres and more than 2,000 at the Community Health Centre level. Altogether, more than 41,000 melas have been held, he said, adding, ''As people are becoming more familiar (with this) and states are getting in the groove, this pace is also likely to increase.'' About organ donation and blood donation drives, Pant said more than 28,000 units of blood have been collected in the first three days and nearly 4,000 organ pledges have been registered with the portals. The website notto.abdm.gov.in is for registering organ donation while eRaktKosh.in is for blood donation.

''When we reviewed with the states, we were given a much higher number but not all have been registered on the portal. We are only counting those who are registered on the portal. States are yet to upload the pledges on the portal. Besides, people can directly upload a pledge on the portal now,'' he said.

The three components of the Ayushman Bhav campaign -- Ayushman Apke Dwar 3.0, Ayushman Melas at Health and Wellness Centres and Community Health Clinics, and Ayushman Sabhas in every village and panchayat -- will substantially expedite the access to healthcare services at the grassroot levels.

Through the Ayushman Apke Dwar 3.0 initiative, the government aims to provide Ayushman cards to remaining eligible beneficiaries enrolled under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, ensuring that more individuals have access to essential health services.

Ayushman Melas at Health and Wellness Centres and Community Health Clinics will facilitate the creation of ABHA IDs and the issuance of Ayushman Bharat Cards. They will also offer early diagnosis, comprehensive primary healthcare services, teleconsultation with specialists and appropriate referrals.

Under the Ayushman Sabhas, gatherings in every village and panchayat will play a pivotal role in distributing Ayushman cards, generating ABHA IDs and raising awareness about vital health schemes and disease conditions such as non-communicable diseases, tuberculosis and sickle cell disease, as well as blood donation and organ donation drives.

Panchayats that successfully saturate the health schemes will earn the prestigious title of 'Ayushman Gram Panchayat' or 'Ayushman Urban Ward'.