Govt plans health melas in every RS, LS constituency
New Delhi: Concerned over increasing the outreach of government health schemes among beneficiaries, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) is planning to give a push to implementation of health schemes across the country through 'health mela', which would be organised in every parliamentary constituency of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
The proposed 'health melas' would be regular phenomena and it would be held every year in every district in coordination with the local member of the parliament. So, the government would hold over 790 health camps in a year across the country.
A fund of Rs 12 lakh for every health mela would be provided by the Ministry of Health through its National Health Mission (NHM) programme. The states and MPs can also contribute any amount of fund for holding camps.
According to a senior official in Health Ministry, the proposal is at the initial stage and guidelines for holding the proposed health camps are being prepared. "If all goes as per the schedule, the guidelines would be finalised in next few weeks and once it's been finalised, the ministry would approve the budgetary allocation for the health camps," the official said.
The official hinted that the preparations for the health melas has been started, which is in full swing and it could be rolled out in next few months. It would be planned to give a boost to Ayushman Bharat plan of the government under which patients would be first provided with preventive care and if needed they would be referred to the district hospital and accordingly to state-level hospital.
Explaining about the facilities that would be available for beneficiaries at all such melas, the official said, "It would be a 2-3 day long mela, wherein the beneficiaries would be told about different healthcare schemes of the Central government being in operation for them."
It has come to the notice that a majority of the vulnerable population don't even know about the healthcare schemes, so through these melas, they would be apprised about their health rights, the official said, adding that visitors' blood pressure, sugar level, ECG, etc would be screened at the camps.
"At the camps, visitors would be sensitised about the methods of preventive and promotive healthcare facilities, so that they should be aware of the symptoms of the disease and approach doctors accordingly," the official said, adding that facilities of dental care, yoga training, etc would be available at the melas.
"Doctors would also provide referral services to patients for tertiary care at the camps. The government is aiming to identify primary cases of cancer, diabetics, cardiovascular diseases, kidney ailments, hypertension, hepatitis C, etc through health camps and educating them about lifestyle-based diseases.
Notably, the scheme was discontinued in 2008, when UPA was at the helm of affairs, and now again after 10 years, the plan is being re-started by the NDA government.
