Type: Schemes

Union Home Minister has rolled out the ‘Ayushman CAPF’ scheme, extending the benefit of the central health insurance programme to the personnel of all Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs) in the country.

Who are the CAPFs?

• The CAPFs refers to uniform nomenclature of five security forces in India under the authority of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
• Their role is to defend the national interest mainly against the internal threats.
• They are the Border Security Force (BSF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB)

Ayushman CAPF

• Under this scheme, around 28 lakh personnel of CAPF, Assam Rifles and National Security Guard (NSG) and their families will be covered by ‘Ayushman Bharat: PM Jan Arogya Yojana’ (AB PM-JAY).
• For the CAPF, the existing health coverage was not comprehensive as compared to other military forces.

Do you know?

The goal of universal health coverage (UHC) as stated in the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs no. 3) is one of the most significant commitments to equitable quality healthcare for all.

About Ayushman Bharat

• PM-JAY aims to provide free access to healthcare for 40% of people in the country.
• It is a centrally sponsored scheme and is jointly funded by both the union government and the states.
• It was launched in September 2018 by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
• The ministry has later established the National Health Authority as an organization to administer the program.

Key features:

• Providing health coverage for 10 crores households or 50 crores Indians.
• It provides a cover of 5 lakh per family per year for medical treatment in empanelled hospitals, both public and private.
• Offering cashless payment and paperless recordkeeping through the hospital or doctor’s office.
• Using criteria from the Socio-Economic and Caste Census 2011 to determine eligibility for benefits.
• There is no restriction on family size, age or gender.
• All previous medical conditions are covered under the scheme.
• It covers 3 days of pre-hospitalization and 15 days of post-hospitalization, including diagnostic care and expenses on medicines.
• The scheme is portable and a beneficiary can avail medical treatment at any PM-JAY empanelled hospital outside their state and anywhere in the country.

Note these features. They cannot be memorized all of sudden but can be recognized if a tricky MCQ comes in the prelims.

Must read:

[Burning Issue] Ayushmaan Bharat

The MP government has issued an order for the appointment of committees led by mothers to ensure better monitoring of services delivered at Anganwadi or day-care centres across the State.

Try this PYQ:

Q.Which of the following are the objectives of ‘National Nutrition Mission’?

1. To create awareness relating to malnutrition among pregnant women and lactating mothers.
2. To reduce the incidence of anaemia among young children, adolescent girls and women.
3. To promote the consumption of millets, coarse cereals and unpolished rice.
4. To promote the consumption of poultry eggs.

Select the correct answer using the code given below:

(a) 1 and 2 only

(b) 1, 2 and 3 only

(c) 1, 2 and 4 only

(d) 3 and 4 only

Matru Sahyogini Samitis

• Called ‘Matru Sahyogini Samiti’ or Mothers’ Cooperation Committees, these will comprise 10 mothers at each Anganwadi centres.
• They would be representing the concerns of different sets of beneficiaries under the Integrated Child Development Services, or National Nutrition Mission.
• Beneficiaries’ would include children between six months to three years, children between three years and six years, adolescent girls and pregnant women and lactating mothers.
• These mothers will keep a watch on weekly ration distribution to them as well as suggest nutritious and tasteful recipes for meals served to children at the centres.
• The move is being taken as per the mandate of the National Food Security Act, 2013 (NFSA).

Its’ functioning

• The committees will include mothers of beneficiary children as well as be represented by pregnant women and lactating mothers who are enrolled under the scheme.
• The Anganwadi scheme includes a package of six services delivered at the centres, including supplementary nutrition, health services including vaccination, early education, among others.
• The Committees will also include a woman panch, women active in the community and eager to volunteer their support to the scheme, teachers from the local school, and women heads of self-help groups (SHG).

Why such a move?

• This is in a move that is aimed at strengthening community response to the problem of hunger and malnutrition in the State.
• With the help of mothers, we will be able to turn anganwadis into a community health system, a nutrition management centre, and spread awareness against social evils.
• These will turn into a model for local governance as well as allow for greater engagement between communities and the State government.

Back2Basics: Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS)

• The ICDS aims to provide food, preschool education, primary healthcare, immunization, health check-up and referral services to children under 6 years of age and their mothers.
• The scheme was launched in 1975, discontinued in 1978 by the government of Morarji Desai, and then relaunched by the Tenth Five Year Plan.
• The tenth FYP also linked ICDS to Anganwadi centres established mainly in rural areas and staffed with frontline workers.
• The ICDS provide for anganwadis or day-care centres which deliver a package of six services including:

1. Immunization
2. Supplementary nutrition
3. Health checkup
4. Referral services
5. Pre-school education (Non-Formal)
6. Nutrition and Health information

Implementation

• For nutritional purposes, ICDS provides 500 kilocalories (with 12-15 grams of protein) every day to every child below 6 years of age.
• For adolescent girls, it is up to 500-kilo calories with up to 25 grams of protein every day.
• The services of Immunisation, Health Check-up and Referral Services delivered through Public Health Infrastructure under the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.