Aardram Mission Implementation (Kerala)

Problem Statement

Provide easily assessable, universal and free quality services at primary healthcare facilities for ensuring health and wellness and institutionalizing referral protocols.

Programme Description

‘Aardram Mission’, is a state government effort to make government hospitals people- friendly by improving basic infrastructure and quality of services by upgrading Primary Health Centres (PHCs) as Family Health Centres (FHC). FHCs are equipped with laboratory, pharmacy, well attended OP counters, fitness centre and yoga training facility. Field staff at FHCs are trained on NCDs and CD related health issues and management. Team building trainings consisting of people’s representatives and all health staff (including doctors and field staff) are also being conducted for facilitation in providing quality services in govt. health institutions. As a part of wellness, State has planned for “Sampoorna Yoga Keralam,” which envisages the propagation of yoga. It is proposed to disseminate yoga training to the public by empowering ASHA, school volunteers and community volunteers through continuous yoga trainings. Muhamma Grama Panchayat is declared as Sampoorna Yoga Gramam (23575 people trained out of 30000 population) in Muhamma, Alappuzha District.

State has upgraded 170 PHCs to FHCs in 2017-18 and another 500 PHCs in 2018-19. In current year, target is to cover all the remaining PHCs. Under Sampoorna Yoga Keralam, aim is to empower Yoga Volunteers to train public, school children, etc. through six sessions/month, extending within one-two years to cover the entire ward, school and public (covering all 941 panchayats).

Programme Outcomes

Ownership of health institutions among Panchayati Raj Institutions and general public is clear, with institutions augmenting more funds for health institutions over and above the budget allotted through budgetary support. 

Funds under Members of Parliament Local Area Development Scheme (MPLADS), Members of Legislative Assembly Local Area Development Scheme (MLALADS), Panchayat funds, CSR funds etc. are being tapped for the upgradation of health institutions.

Scalability

The intervention includes defined components, to strengthen public health institutions and has utilised funds from existing funds and from other government departments, thus demonstrating multisectoral convergence. This mode can be adopted for scale, with contextual modifications, depending upon avenues for resource mobilization.

Implementation Partners

This is an effort of the state government. The Department has collaborated with Panchayati Raj Institutions for infrastructure, for Sampoorna Yoga Keralam- National AYUSH Mission Kerala, Department of Indian Systems of Medicine-Kerala, LSGI, School Education Department, Social Welfare Dept., Yoga Professionals (Medical officers of AYUSH Yoga Medical Officers and qualified yoga instructors) etc. are partners.

Financial Implications

During 2017-18, funds of around Rs. 20 lakhs for each institution was provided from state government with NHM being the implementation agency. During 2018-19, NHM funds of Rs. 20 lakhs for selected 300 institutions were received. Further, during the same year, Government of Kerala provided Rs. 20 lakhs each for another 200 institutions. During the current year, the funds for remaining health institutions are augmented through NHM. For Sampoorna Yoga Keralam, budget of Rs. 32.40 lakhs is envisaged which will be met from NAM funds as well as NHM – H&WC funds.

Source : We Care Coffee Table Book - Good, Replicable and Innovative Practices 2019