By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Sep 13: The state government has launched a public health movement by forming Village Health Councils (VHCs) in the villages across the state.
After launching the “Ayushman Bhava campaign” at the State Convention Centre on Wednesday, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said while health is the responsibility of the government, good health starts at the house of an individual.
“Health starts with basic hygiene practices at households, villages and regional level. The different levels in the society have a role and responsibility to make sure every citizen in our state is healthy and therefore, the involvement of the stakeholders is very important,” he said.
He said no programme can be successful without the involvement of the community.
The CM further said the government came up with the VHCs after realising that it will not succeed in its endeavour of providing good health services without community participation.
He said the budget allocation to the health sector is very high because the government is following up this sector with commitment, action and full financial support.
He also said that although there are a number of challenges in the sector, the government is working towards addressing them.
On the occasion, Sangma released the Village Health Council-IEC Book, Register and launched the VHC App and distributed awards to the best performers and achievers in VHCs/TB/MHIS programmes. The programme was attended by ASHAs, health workers and VHC members from across the state.
Earlier, National Health Mission (NHM) director, Ram Kumar said during the COVID-19 pandemic, the state government had realised that keeping health within the health centres would not be sufficient.
He said the government started forming the VHCs with the objective to start a public health movement.
At present, there are almost 6,758 VHCs, covering almost all 7,000 villages in the state. There are elected bodies of the VHCs in every village, he said, adding the government is contemplating on starting urban health councils.
Sampath Kumar, who is the principal secretary of Health department, said Meghalaya is investing heavily in the health sector.
“Around 8% of the state budget goes to healthcare. We are among the top four states making maximum budget allocation in the health sector,” Kumar said.
According to him, the VHCs have to be mobilized to ensure how they can ensure positive health-seeking behaviour among communities.
“Over 55% of the adults, aged over 55 years, are into smoking. So, this is an important challenge for the VHCs to reduce tobacco consumption,” he said, adding tobacco consumption can lead to cancer and other diseases.
He said through this initiative, the government has acknowledged the importance of preventive healthcare and thereby, is using most of its resources at the disposal of the Health department along with the VHCs towards the prevention aspect which may help increase the lifespan of people.
According to him, the government is also stressing that government functionaries, missionaries who are working in the health sector, traditional institutions, VHCs and self-help groups work together in a collaborative manner.
Kumar said Meghalaya wants to become like Kerala which is the only state to have achieved the single digit IMR and MMR.
The Ayushman Bhava campaign will be introduced during the Seva Pakhwada (Service Fortnight) from September 17 to October 2. Several activities have been planned for the fortnight to enhance healthcare accessibility and awareness.
Ayushman Bhava is an umbrella campaign comprising Ayushman Apke Dwar 3.0 which is aimed at creating and distributing Ayushman cards to all remaining eligible beneficiaries. Around 60,000 people will be given Ayushman Bharat cards.
As part of Ayushman Mela, weekly health melas will be held at the level of AB-HWCs and Community Health Centres. Under Ayushman Sabha, a village/ward level sabha will be held to enhance awareness on various healthcare schemes and services.
The government has introduced several initiatives under the Ayushman Bhava scheme to make healthcare more accessible. These include online registration of patients, telemedicine services and free ambulance services. In addition, the government has made arrangements for patients to receive free medicines at state-run hospitals and centres.
The government is also encouraging people to take preventive measures to reduce the chances of falling ill by providing them with information on healthy living habits and diet plans. Additionally, the scheme also provides coverage for preventive care such as regular check-ups and health screenings as well as vaccinations for children.