A total of 1,63,273 Ayushman Arogya Mandir are operational across the country, where 18.46 crore people have been screened for oral cancer, 8.88 crore for breast cancer and 4.96 crore for cervical cancer, the government informed Parliament on Friday.
In a written response to a question in the Lok Sabha, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya said population-based prevention, screening and management for non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including common cancers such as oral, breast and cervical cancer, is conducted at the Ayushman Arogya Mandir as a part of the comprehensive primary healthcare under the National Health Mission (NHM).
“A total of 1,63,273 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs are operational across the country. A total of 18.46 crore for oral cancer, 8.88 crore for breast cancer and 4.96 crore for cervical cancer are screened,” Mandaviya said.
Under the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD), 753 district NCD clinics, 355 district daycare centres and 6,237 community health centre NCD clinics have so far been set up, the minister informed.
To generate awareness for cancer prevention and treatment, several actions have been taken and as a part of it, the preventive aspect of cancer has been strengthened under comprehensive primary healthcare through the Ayushman Arogya Mandir scheme by promoting wellness activities and targeted communication at the community level, Mandaviya said.
Besides, 19 state cancer institutes (SCIs) and 20 tertiary-care cancer centres (TCCCs) have been approved under the said scheme. The National Cancer Institute at Haryana’s Jhajjar and a second campus of the Chittaranjan National Cancer Institute, Kolkata have also been set up, Mandaviya said.
Under the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY), a health insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh per family per year for secondary or tertiary-care hospitalisation is provided to 12 crore beneficiary families, he highlighted.
