The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), Ashwini Kumar Choubey explained in a written reply in the Lok Sabha about the healthcare scheme for SC/ST women. The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched in the year 2005 with an aim to address the healthcare challenges, especially in rural areas.
Key Points
- At present, National Rural Health Mission is a sub-mission of the National Health Mission (NHM).
- The States have the flexibility to propose specific interventions for SC/ST areas and beneficiaries including for women and their children.
- The states are supported under National Health Mission, based on their proposals.
- NHM support is also offered for the provision of a range of free services for SC/ST women and children, child health, related to maternal health, family planning, universal immunization programme, adolescent health, and for other diseases like Malaria, Tuberculosis, Dengue, Leprosy, and Kala Azar, etc.
Various Interventions for better healthcare in SC/ST
- There is a relaxation in population norms for setting up Health Facilities in tribal areas. For setting up Health Facilities in tribal and desert areas, the population should be 3,000, 20,000, and 80,000. The population norms for setting up of Sub Centre, PHC, and CHC are 5,000, 30,000, and 1,20,000 respectively.
- There is also relaxation for Mobile Medical Units (MMUs).
- Tribal majority districts having a composite health index below the State average have been identified as High Priority Districts (HPDs).
- These HPDs receive more resources per capita under the National Health Mission (NHM) in comparison to other districts.
- SC/ST households are also covered under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) for health coverage up to Rs 5 Lakh per family per year.
Other major initiatives supported under National Health Mission include Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RSSK), Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), etc.