Status Of The Action Plan For Cancer Screening In Rural Areas

The Government of India (GoI) has implemented the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD) in all States/UTs since 2010 intending to prevent and control major NCDs (Hypertension, Diabetes, Cardiovascular disease, Cancer, Stroke, Chronic kidney disease, COPD/ Asthma, Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, etc).

The Programme focuses on strengthening infrastructure, human resource development, health promotion, early diagnosis, management and referral. Under the National Health Mission’s (NHM) component of NP-NCD, 753 NCD clinics at the district level, 356 Day Care Centres at the district level and 6238 NCD clinics at the Community Health Centre (CHC) level have been set up.  Awareness for prevention and early detection of NCDs is carried out at all levels through NCD Clinics at Districts and CHC levels.

A population-based initiative for the prevention, control, and screening of common non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including three common cancers, has been rolled out across the country under the NHM and as part of Comprehensive Primary Health Care. Under the initiative, persons over 30 years of age are targeted for their screening for the common NCDs i.e. Diabetes, Hypertension, and three common cancers i.e. oral, breast, and cervical. Screening for these common NCDs and cancers is an integral part of service delivery under Ayushman Bharat – Ayushman Arogya Mandir. As of July 29, 2024, India has operationalized 173,827 Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (AAM). The list of State/UT-wise operational AAMs is attached in the Annexure.

The Government of India provides technical and financial support to States/UTs for human resource development, including training healthcare professionals based on their Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) for better program execution. As of May 10, 2024, a total of 1,404,819 primary healthcare providers, including Medical Officers, Community Health Officers (CHO), Staff Nurses, Multi-Purpose Workers (MPW), and Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA), have been trained to enhance their skills in screening common NCDs, raising awareness, promoting a healthy lifestyle, and facilitating referrals for early detection and screening initiatives.

Annexure

State/UT-wise List of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs Operationalized