An initiative by the Government of India was taken in April 2005. This initiative was initially named as National Rural Health Mission to support kids’ health in rural areas. However, the initiation took place during the tenure of former Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh. Later, seeing this mission’s result, the Indian Government decided to merge another mission in the same category and named it National Health Mission. The newer mission National Urban Health Mission was added to the program in March 2018. So let’s get into details of these missions initiated by the Government of India.
What is the National Health Mission all about?
Seeing the demographic health conditions and nutritional deficiency, the Government took a step to serve for good. Kids who are not aware of their health and are undergoing malnutrition can expect to be helped by the Government. It is not only made to provide support for food. This mission also undertakes the health issues and supports the kids or newborns. Initially, the mission was run in Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh seeing the statistical report, later the program was extended to other states facing such issues. The statistical reports are taken according to the family income report and the number of people depending on the number of earning members. Helping them financially would have been a temporary resolve. Under this mission, the Government helps the people in kind by providing medical services, workshops to be aware of health issues that kids might face, ways to provide enough nutrition to the kid at less expense. To focus on these matters Government also created some campaigns and programs; let’s know more about them.
Programs Under National Health Mission
ASHA or Accredited Social Health Activists
A group of volunteers works as the connecting link between the needy and the mission. They primarily help kids and women deprived of health care facilities in rural areas. The demand for the ASHA program is getting higher day by day due to the benefits offered by the Indian Government.
Rogi Kalyan Samiti
This welfare committee for the patients takes care of the needs at the hospital, and it can be financial; the volunteer also guides the people to take proper treatments and experience the benefit of this campaign.
United grants to sub-centers
This initiative supports the medical centers and employees financially to help underprivileged people with better health care support.
Health Care Contractors
Agents are allotted to provide healthcare facilities to underserved areas. They are also in touch with doctors and training to serve the under-served people. They also identify the area in need and develop a team to serve the area.
Janani Suraksha Yojana
This scheme undertakes a lot of support provided to them: a mother or new mother. From providing monetary help before and after childbirth to support the child and mother’s health to providing medical support. The benefit of this scheme is given to both low-performing and high-performing states, but the ranges are different. This yojana has reduced the child mortality rate at an efficient rate. Children survive by getting enough nutrition, the mothers are fed well before and after childbirth, a monthly subsidy is provided to them to support their health. Free or low-cost medical services are provided at the health care center or hospital.
National Mobile Medical Units
In places where regular medical supports are not available, the Government has sent mobile medical units to serve the under-served areas. Many people benefit from this program.
National Ambulance Service
The government ambulance has reached unreachable locations. An ambulance service is provided to transfer a patient to a nearby hospital. Many locations in India do not have enough health care centers and enough vehicle support to transfer any patient. With this national ambulance service, getting an ambulance in any corner of India has become easy.
Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram
Under this initiative, free medical support like medicine, transportation to medical centers or hospitals, food for pregnant women, food for the mother after delivery, and medical support to sick infants until they turn 1.
Rashtriya Bal Swastha Karyakram
This project works to support kids with medical support, starting from treatments, medicines, funds for operations, and everything provided to the needy kids.
Mother and Child Health Wings
Under this project, more beds and medical support are provided to the child and mother to reduce mortality. New beds are being allotted in places where the demand for beds is higher for maternity cases.
Free Drugs and Free Diagnostic Service
Free medicines and medical support are provided to the underserved and underprivileged people. Small diagnostic camps and centers and curated to diagnose diseases among kids.
District Hospital and Knowledge Centre
The district hospitals are made multispeciality units for the needy. Due to the lack of medical support and unit for several diseases in many villages. To stop that, these district hospitals are getting renovated into multispeciality hospitals. They also have a knowledge center to make people aware of the diseases and the preventive measures.
National Iron + Initiative
It is found that the underprivileged kids mostly lack iron in high amounts, which is why the Government has taken this initiative to find maximum cases of iron deficiency caused by anemia.
Tribal TB Eradication Project
This project was launched in 2017 by MoS Health Shri Faggan Singh Kulaste at Mandla to support the TB patients in tribal areas and reduce this disease.
The Government takes all the initiatives mentioned above to build the health game strong of the mass population of India. These programs are primarily designed for the underserved area and people of India but seeing the demand in some areas; these benefits are also provided to families with lower incomes. This mission was initiated in 2005, but the branches are added on whenever there is any room for improvement to provide ultimate medical support to the kids of India. To build a healthy population, it is important, to begin with, the kids. Supporting them to grow healthier is what is about National Health Mission.
