New Delhi, Sep 7 (PTI) Streamlined coordination between the Centre and the states can bring out the best output in healthcare delivery, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said on Wednesday.

The Centre is committed to supporting the states through financial and technical resources for efficient and effective implementation of health programmes aimed towards quality healthcare, Mandaviya said as he chaired the seventh meeting of the Mission Steering Group (MSG) of the National Health Mission (NHM) here, according to a statement issued by the health ministry.

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The MSG is the apex decision-making body of the NHM that takes decisions on policies and programme implementation under the mission.

Addressing the meeting, Mandaviya noted that India is the only country in the world with a four-layer health infrastructure in place and with a 10-lakh-strong ASHA workforce at the grassroots, the statement said.

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"These powerful foot soldiers of our health force have played a pivotal role in India's Covid management and vaccination campaigns," the minister said.

He added that strengthening incentivisation of the healthcare workers who work with communities at the cutting edge can give an impetus to various programmes.

Mandaviya underscored the importance of moving ahead with a sharpened focus on timely elimination of diseases such as kala azar, leptospirosis etc. as these diseases largely impact the poorest households and communities in the country, the statement said.

The MSG was apprised of the achievements made under the NHM in the last few years, according to which more than 1.2 lakh sub-health centres and primary health centres have been transformed as Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs), providing comprehensive primary care with a footfall of more than 100.8 crore.

The Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP) has been implemented at 1,136 centres in 615 districts of 36 states and Union territories by deploying 7,809 hemodialysis machines.

Notification of tuberculosis cases increased from 18.2 lakh in 2017 to 21.35 lakh in 2021 with Rs 1,651.27 crore disbursed (under the DBT scheme) to 62.71 lakh TB patients for nutritional support (since 2018), the statement said, adding that in 2021, the treatment success rate of TB had reached 83 per cent, the highest ever.

The MSG was informed that major interventions in health have led to a reduction in the out-of-pocket-expenditure (OOPE) from 69.4 per cent to 48.8 per cent according to NHA estimates.

It was highlighted that 31 states have achieved replacement TFR according to the NFHS-5 report. Besides, 3.16 lakh human resources, including doctors, nurses, laboratory technicians etc. (excluding ASHA workers), in the states and Union territories are being supported by the NHM.

The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in the country has declined by 453 points -- from 556 per one lakh live births in 1990 to 103 in 2017-19 (SRS 2017-19). Seven states have achieved the SDG target of MMR and the under-5 mortality rate (U5MR) has declined from 126 per 1,000 live births in 1990 to 35 per 1,000 live births in 2019. Eight states have achieved the SDG target of U5MR.

Also, the number of malaria cases has reduced from more than 11 lakh to 48,000.

The seventh MSG of the NHM discussed various agenda points, including sickle-cell disease among tribals. It was decided to implement the sickle cell screening programme on a mission mode. An emphasis was given on the National TB Elimination Programme and it was decided that all necessary actions will be taken up to end TB by 2025 in accordance with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision.

The MSG also deliberated upon the costing norms for national ambulance services and mobile medical units (MMUs). It was decided to incentivise the ASHA for creation and seeding of ABHA IDs on various IT portals of the health ministry.

The member Union ministers made suggestions, including refinement and monitoring of the fund flow from the state treasury to the districts, ensuring the inclusion of the left-out population such as nomads, street dwellers, differently-abled people in the PM-JAY scheme, accelerating the filling up of vacancies of technicians and paramedics in health facilities, incentivising mechanisms and enhancing the synergy between the Centre and the states for timely and matching fund allocation from the latter.

Gajendra Singh Sekhawat, Union Minister of Jal Shakti, Virendra Kumar, Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment, Bharati Pravin Pawar, Minister of State for Health and V K Paul, Member (Health), NITI Aayog, were among the members who attended the meeting.

The secretaries of various Union ministries, including the health, AYUSH and DoNER ministries and senior officers from the women and child development (WCD), drinking water and sanitation, panchayati raj, rural development, urban development, higher education, social justice and empowerment ministries, health secretaries of state governments and eminent public health professionals also attended the meeting.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)