Smt. Anandiben Patel, Governor Uttar Pradesh inaugurates Universal Health Coverage Day 2022 celebrations in presence of Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya

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Smt. Anandiben Patel, Hon’ble Governor, Uttar Pradesh virtually inaugurated the two-day conclave of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) at Rudraksh Convention Centre, Varanasi today, in the presence of Union Minister of Health & Family Welfare Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya. The event was also graced by several Health Ministers from States. These included Minister of State, Uttar Pradesh Dr Daya Shankar Mishra, Smt. Vidadala Rajni (Andhra Pradesh), Shri Banna Gupta (Jharkhand), Dr. Prabhuram Choudhary (Madhya Pradesh), Shri Dhan Singh Rawat (Uttarakhand), Shri Ravindra Jaiswal (Uttar Pradesh), Smt. Chandrima Bhattacharya (West Bengal), Dr. Sapam Ranjan (Manipur) and Dr M K Sharma (Sikkim).

Speaking at the occasion, Hon. Governor, Uttar Pradesh praised the work of Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centers in providing last mile delivery of healthcare services. “I am happy to learn that more than 1.33 lakh HWCs have now become operational and are working as hubs of teleconsultations services”, she stated. She further encouraged the medical professionals at these Centers to create awareness regarding screening for various diseases among the local population, emphasizing that collaborative effort is essential for eradicating the nation of diseases. Applauding the spirit and progress of the initiative Nikshay-Mitra, she said “With collaborative effort of Centre, States, communities and individuals, we can easily achieve goal of TB – mukt Bharat by 2025. Let us all come forward and become a Ni-kshay Mitra to support TB patients.”

At the outset, Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya thanked the Community Health Officers (CHOs) for their selfless service and commitment to duty exhibited especially during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Union Health Minister praised the significant impact of e-Sanjeevani, flagship initiative of Govt of India in digital health, elaborating that it has successfully saved 21.59 km per health visit to the patient, and enabled savings of Rs 941.51 in terms of direct and indirect cost per health visit leading to a saving of Rs 7,522 crore across the country. These teleconsultations are available at AB-HWCs. To build on this momentum and spread awareness regarding the 12 healthcare services being provided at HWCs, he urged that once a month Health Mela should be organized for comprehensive drive on integrated health and wellness through screening, diagnostics and treatment.

The theme of the UHC day 2022 is “Build the World We Want: A Healthy Future for All”. Highlighting the importance of health coverage in building a healthy future for all, UHC strives to ensure that all people have access to quality health services without suffering financial hardship when paying for these services. In light of its significance, UHC also features as a key priority in G20 India Health track and comprises as a key target for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of 2030.

On day one of the conclave, states/UTs were awarded for best performances under the following categories:

Achievement of HWCs Operationalization against target,
Tele consultation), and
ABHA ID Generation.

A Ministeral Session on implementation of PM- Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) and 15^thFinancial Commission was also held today.

The event was also attended by Dr R S Sharma, CEO, NHA, Shri Rajesh Bhushan, Union Health Secretary, Ms. Roli Singh, AS&MD (NHM), senior officers from Centre, States, UTs, and representatives from development partners.