In 2018, as part of Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) or Ayushman Bharat, the Government of India announced the creation of 1,50,000 Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) by transforming existing Sub Centres and Primary Health Centres. These centres would act as the base pillar of Ayushman Bharat to deliver Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC). Recommended under the National Health Policy 2017, the HWCs hope to deliver an expanded range of services at the primary level of health-care.
Having an active presence all over India, VHAI utilised its cross-country health and development network to gain valuable insights about the functioning and impact of HWCs. We hoped that the feedback received from various HWCs would be useful in advocating dynamic health planning and programme management. A ground level qualitative study was conducted in fifteen HWCs located in eight states- Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Assam and Bihar. The report has been an attempt to record the major observations from a variety of locations. This can provide valuable insights on the early impact and current ground level condition of the HWCs. VHAI hopes that the report adds more value to the existing programme and contributes to the strengthening of primary health care in India.
