Govt unveils three healthcare initiatives at Ayushman Bharat event

New Delhi: To enhance healthcare services and ease of doing business in India, Union Ministers of State for Health and Family Welfare, Prataprao Ganpatrao Jadhav and Anupriya Singh Patel launched three key initiatives at the आयुष्मान भारत, गुणवत्त स्वास्थ्य event.

The initiatives include a virtual National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) assessment for Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAM), a dashboard for Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) compliance, and a spot food license initiative for food vendors.

The virtual NQAS assessment aims to streamline the quality assurance process for Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, ensuring timely and accurate evaluations. This initiative represents a significant innovation in the quality assurance framework for public health facilities, allowing online evaluations that involve virtual tours and interactions with patients, staff, and community members.

Each healthcare facility will undergo a rigorous multi-level assessment process to achieve quality certification, evaluated by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) empanelled National Quality Assurance Standard Assessors. It is part of the Ayushman Bharat scheme initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, aiming for full compliance by 2026. Currently, more than 170,000 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are operational nationwide, providing comprehensive, accessible healthcare services. 

The newly launched IPHS Compliance Dashboard will enable national, state, and district health institutions to monitor adherence to health standards set by IPHS 2022 in real time. This digital tool is designed to ensure that public health facilities maintain high standards of infrastructure, equipment, and human resources, ultimately improving health outcomes.

The dashboard facilitates real-time data collection and analysis through the Open Data Kit (ODK) tool, enabling health officials to conduct thorough assessments, identify gaps, and implement necessary improvements promptly. As of June 14, 2024, over 36,730 out of 216,062 public health institutions have been assessed, with 8,562 fully compliant with IPHS standards. The goal is to make 70,000 health institutions compliant within the first 100 days of the new government’s formation.

The spot food license initiative launched through the Food Safety and Compliance System (FoSCoS), simplifies the process for food vendors to obtain licenses and registrations. This innovative system offers instant issuance of licenses for select categories of food businesses, enhancing the ease of doing business and ensuring food safety compliance.

Currently, obtaining an FSSAI license can take 30 to 60 days from the date of submission of a complete application. The new initiative allows instant issuance for low-risk categories such as wholesalers, distributors, retailers, transporters, and storage facilities. This will be achieved through digital verification, ensuring that food safety is not compromised.

During the event, Prataprao Jadhav emphasized the government’s ongoing efforts to provide “Healthcare for All” and promote wellness. He highlighted achievements such as the establishment of over 1.73 lakh Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, doubling the number of medical colleges since 2014, and increasing the number of AIIMS from 7 to 23. Jadhav stated, “The government is committed to strengthening the healthcare system with more skilled human resources and quality infrastructure that can tackle both present and future medical challenges.”

Anupriya Patel noted that the virtual NQAS assessment and IPHS dashboard would improve the quality of healthcare in public facilities, while the spot food license initiative would enhance business operations. She stressed the government’s focus on building a robust healthcare infrastructure by 2047, aligned with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision. “The launch of these initiatives is a continuation of the government’s effort to provide quality healthcare and promote wellness,” she added.

Union Health Secretary Apurva Chandra underscored the importance of maintaining high healthcare standards and simplifying business processes. FSSAI CEO G Kamala Vardhana Rao highlighted that instant licenses through FoSCoS would significantly boost the ease of doing business, supporting the Prime Minister’s vision of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas.”