Govt committed to making healthcare services affordable: MoS Health

Union Minister of State for Health Ashwini Kumar Choubey today said the government is committed to making healthcare services more affordable with a sharp focus on enabling citizens to access medical care through various policy interventions.
He said India is on the cusp of transitioning from an older population to a younger one as the country's than 50 per cent of population is below the age of 25 and more than 65 per cent below 35 years.
Addressing the 41st Annual Day function of the National Institute of Health and Family Welfare (NIHFW) here, Choubey said the government has announced two major initiatives in the health sector, as part of Ayushman Bharat programme for making path-breaking interventions to address healthcare holistically, covering both prevention and health promotion components.

Under this, 1.5 lakh health and wellness centres will bring healthcare system closer to the homes of people, the minister said.
"These centres will provide comprehensive primary healthcare, including that for non-communicable diseases and maternal, and child health services," Choubey said, adding the second flagship programme under Ayushman Bharat isNational Health Protection Scheme, which will provide cover of up to 5 lakh rupees annually to each of over 10 crore poor and vulnerable families for secondary and tertiary care.
"This will be the world's largest government-funded healthcare programme. Adequate funds will be provided for smooth implementation of this programme," he said.