Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched a new pan-India healthcare scheme from his constituency, Varanasi, today. "The earlier governments neglected the health sector... It was neglected since Independence," the Prime Minster said, launching the Rs 5,000-crore Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission.
One of the largest pan-India schemes, the Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission is meant to plug the gaps in public health infrastructure, especially in terms of critical care facilities and primary care in urban and rural areas.
The project will provide support for the 17,788 rural health and wellness centres spread across 10 high focus states. Another 11,024 urban health and wellness centres will be established in all the states under the project.
The project will provide for a full range of diagnostic services through a network of laboratories across the country, and set up integrated public health labs in all districts.
Under the scheme, a national institution for one health, four new national institutes for virology, a regional research platform for WHO South East Asia Region, nine biosafety level-III laboratories, five new regional national centre for disease control will be set up.
