Provide visible, acceptable and accessible healthcare — Phom to HCWs

3 health centres receive NQAS certification; e-Sanjeevani launched

Our Correspondent

Kohima, Aug. 6 (EMN): Minister of Health and Family Welfare, S Pangnyu Phom on Saturday told healthcare workers (HCWs) to ensure that the quality of care provided is visible, acceptable and accessible for those living in rural areas.

He was addressing the felicitation programme of health units that received the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) certification at Capital Convention Centre in Kohima.

Phom maintained that to ensure universal health coverage, Ayushman Bharat was launched in 2018 with Health and Wellness Centre (HWC) and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) as its two strong pillars. He added that Ayushman Bharat aims to bring a standard shift in the country by increasing the response of health systems to increase demand of health seekers on prevention and treatment of diseases.

‘The state has completed four years of implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centre in Nagaland, thereby bringing quality care closer to the homes of communities with the provision of expanded ranges of services in the entire state’, said the minister.

He also pointed out the importance of making healthcare services available, accessible and affordable to the local population at their door steps. 

Phom said under the ambit of NQAD programme, various levels of health facilities at district hospitals (DH), community health centres (CHC), primary health centres (PHC), and sub-centres (SC) have been framed.

In Nagaland, Seikhazou UPHC was the first facility to be NQAS certified in 2019, he said.

Subsequently, three additional facilities — UPHC Duncan, Dimapur, PHC Mongsenyimti, Mokokchung and UPHC Burma Camp, Dimapur — were NQAS certified this year, Phom said and commended the efforts of all the officials involved in achieving the feat.

Meanwhile, the Minister acknowledged the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic Advancement (NISHTHA)-Jhpiego who has been supporting the state in various digital interventions like Naga Telehealth, Tele Track, and iLearn.

Speaking about the Naga telehealth-telemedicine platform, which has shifted to e-Sanjeevani — an assisted teleconsultation service to alleviate the urban-rural divide in terms of health care services, Phom exuded hope that this will enable patients residing in rural areas to avail quality healthcare services in an easy way for one’s good health.

e-Sanjeevani is teleconsultation service of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (HFW) and works on a hub-and-spoke model, wherein, the Ayushman Bharat HWCs act as spokes, which are mapped with the HuB (comprising MBBS/Specialty doctors), at HuB level.

On the launching of e-Sanjeevani, the minister also requested the district officials to encourage healthcare workers and public to make use of the platform for the benefit and welfare of all concerned.

Dr. Ashoke Roy, Director, Regional Resources Center-NE, Guwahati, Assam in speech expressed happiness that Nagaland is the first state so far to have achieved the target set by the government of India for Urban Health Centre certification, which is 25%. The state has achieved over 30% (three out of seven UPHCs are certified).

He also shared that the availability of drugs in health facilities were ‘really good, stored as it is expected and likewise even in utilisation’. He also urged the department to work towards improving infrastructures by availing various facilities made available by the central ministry.

Asangla Imti, Secretary, department of Health and Family Welfare, while commending the success of the health centers, pointed out the need to stress on scores and re-assess the performance.

She told the officials to focus on job satisfaction while also asking them to retrospect and re-examine whether they were doing justice to their profession.

The secretary also advised them to focus on proper planning (bottom-up planning) right from the grassroots level by identifying the needs of the areas and health centres.

Further, she asked all the medical officers to enhance their performance not based on central programmes but as the bounded duty of a caregiver in the society.

A highlight of NQAS was presented by Dr. Tinurenla, Director, National Health Mission, while Dr. Rose, medical officer of UPHC Duncan, Dimapur, Dr. Maongkala, medical officer of Mongsenyimti PHC, Mokokchung and Dr. Chamzai Newmai, medical officer of UPHC Burma Camp, Dimapur shared about their experiences.

On the occasion, Phom handed over the NQAS certificates to UPHC Duncan, Dimapur, Mongsenyimti PHC, Mokokchung and UPHC Burma Camp, Dimapur and also launched e-Sanjeevani.