Mumbai: In a significant review meeting held at Sahyadri Guest House in Mumbai today, Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare and Tribal Affairs, Dr. Bharati Pravin Pawar, chaired discussions on the implementation and progress of various health sector schemes in Maharashtra. The meeting witnessed the presence of key officials including Additional Chief Secretary of Health Department, Government of Maharashtra, Milind Mhaiskar, and Director of NHM-III, Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Saroj Kumar, among others.
The comprehensive review covered a spectrum of health schemes and programs, including PM-ABHIM, Sickle Cell Anaemia Elimination Mission, National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) Certification, Ayushman Arogya Mandir, PMSSY, PMJAY, TB Elimination Programme, PMNDP, Cancer Care, and AYUSH hospitals in the state. The discussion aimed at assessing the progress and addressing challenges to ensure effective and seamless healthcare delivery.
MoS (HFW) Dr. Bharati Pawar emphasized the allocation of funds by the central government to states through various schemes for enhancing health infrastructure and improving patient care. She highlighted the ongoing efforts to strengthen the health system in the country through the judicious utilization of these funds.
During the meeting, Dr. Bharati Pawar directed the state health department to increase mass screening for sickle cell anaemia in tribal areas, urging that screening should be made mandatory in pregnant women’s health check-ups. The Minister reiterated Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s commitment to eradicating sickle cell disease and stressed the importance of creating public awareness for tuberculosis screening.
Under the Prime Minister Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) scheme, medical laboratories are being constructed in the state, with 18 critical care blocks under development. Additionally, 11,052 health centers have been transformed into Ayushman Arogya Mandir, offering new facilities such as diabetes screening and cancer screening.
Dr. Pawar emphasized the increase in medical education seats and ongoing construction of medical colleges in Nandurbar and Gondia in the state. She encouraged the utilization of Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the health sector for its effectiveness and suggested the opening of more chemotherapy centers for cancer diagnosis and treatment.
In the meeting, it was revealed that 69 lakh patients in the state have availed the teleconsultation facility e-Sanjeevani, contributing to the target of 3 crore 26 lakh beneficiaries under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) in Maharashtra. Dr. Bharati Pawar instructed the swift distribution of cards under this scheme.
The Minister also stressed the utilization of funds from the 15th Finance Commission and Covid Response Fund to empower the health system in the state. The meeting highlighted the successful implementation of the ‘Kilkari’ project in Gujarat and Maharashtra, an interactive voice response (IVR) based mobile health service providing crucial information to families about pregnancy, childbirth, and childcare.
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