The ambitious Universal Health Coverage (UHC) project that has been launched by Government of Punjab in two blocks Mukandpur and Balachaur of District SBS Nagar (Nawanshahr) on pilot basis has the potential to revolutionize the health care delivery system in the state. Based on the results of UHC Pilot, the project will further be launched in all over Punjab. This was stated here today byVini Mahajan, Principal Secretary, Health & Family Welfare, Punjab. As part of the UHC project, health workers are conducting the mass screening for diseases like Hypertension, Diabetes, Asthma, Nutrition, Anaemia, Substance Abuse, Cancer (Breast, Cervical, Oral) of each and every member of household for the early detection in these two selected blocks of Punjab.Mahajan informed that Universal Health Coverage is an effort to ensure that people must get the health services they need, without suffering financial hardship. To fulfill this effort, a very strong, efficient, well-run health system, well-trained and motivated health workers along with essential medicines and technologies are required.
She added that all health workers in the concerned blocks have been trained and equipped with diagnostics devices for this process. Talking about the progress under the project that was rolled-out on pilot basis in February 2015, she said that at present health workers have completed mass screening in 8000 households out of 20,000 in block Mukandpur and 1000 households out of 25,000 in block Balachaur. By June 2016, whole district mass screening will be completed. Government of Punjab in collaboration with Reliance-Jio Infocomm Ltd., Mumbai has designed an IT application for the medical and paramedical staff.
“The application has been customized to fulfill the requirements under Universal Health Coverage and is based on Aadhaar database. Each ANM has been equipped with software loaded Tablet and health facility staffs have been provided desktops and laptops for record keeping of patients. A ‘Family Health Card’ has been designed in collaboration with PGIMER Chandigarh for the identification of families which will be provided to each family to capture the detail of every member of household on the basis of basic health parameters and family’s medical history. The treatment of the identified patients is provided free or either at affordable cost at the nearby Primary Health Center”.
Vini Mahajan informed that to take stock of the progress of the scheme at ground zero, she herself accompanied by Dr. Rajesh Kumar, HoD School of Public Health, PGIMER Chandigarh and other senior officers reviewed the ongoing activities and progress under the project and all of them recently visited District SBS Nagar. At the Primary Health Centre ‘Aur’ falling under block Mukandpur she met medical, paramedical staff and patients to take feedback regarding the availability of medicines and patient load. At village Nangal Jattan, she observed health workers performing mass screening of the population. She also visited few households and met the families to obtain feedback about the screening and medicines availability.