NEW DELHI: The key promises made in the ambitious 64,000 crore Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission rolled out by Prime Minister Narendra Modi are the availability of 134 types of free diagnostic tests in all district hospitals and two state-of-the-art mobile container hospitals.
Union health minister Mansukh Mandaviya, in a press briefing on Tuesday, said that the free diagnostic tests in all district hospitals will be a reality soon while the 100-bed mobile container hospitals are being planned for areas reporting disease outbreaks with poor health infrastructure.
“We are working with a saturation approach with the block, district, state and national levels seamlessly connected for affordable and quality healthcare,” said Mandaviya.
The minister said that a total of 134 different types of tests will be done for free at the district level which will not only save costs but also reduce unnecessary inconvenience for poor people.
“Secondly, for the first time in Asia, two container-based hospitals with comprehensive medical facilities will be kept ready at all times which can be swiftly mobilized by rail or air to respond to any calamity or disaster in the country,” he said.
With an outlay of Rs 64,180 crore, the new health scheme, first announced in the Union Budget this year, has been projected as the largest pan-India health infrastructure scheme that aims to provide a much-needed fillip to India's capacity to address emergent public health issues.
The minister claimed that this will bring about a paradigm shift in India’s healthcare infrastructure and make it more resilient.
The government said the mission aims to produce robust outcomes in public health and make India one of the most advanced countries in the world in terms of management of public health outbreaks.
Other components of the programme include setting up the national platform for one health, setting up a division for research on disease elimination sciences & health as a satellite centre of the National Aids Research Institute and setting up of the regional NIVs among others.