Community participation is a fundamental component of primary health care. To achieve SDG target 3.8 of Universal Health coverage, community participation is very essential. For increasing community participation, the GOI started Health mela initiatives. Under these initiatives, comprehensive health activities and health check-up camps are being organized at transformed Ayushman Bharat- Health and Wellness Centres. Monthly (14th of every month) health mela are organized at all functional AB-HWCs in rural and urban areas in coordination with DH/SDH/CHC in the district.
Health Mela - March’23 was celebrated at Ayushman Bharat Health and Wellness Centres pan India. The States & UTs across the country participated in the event. The theme for March 2023 Health melas was International Women’s Day and World Tuberculosis Day. AB-HWCs carried out various activities like Screening for NCD and TB, TB awareness activities, Health talks on action against gender violence leveraging community platforms, Promote a balanced diet with affordable, nutritive, and locally available food during in health mela.
A total of 36 States and UTs participated and organized “Health Melas”. 25,927 facilities from these 36 States and UTs have undertaken these activities. In the month of March, a total of 10,78,245 footfall was observed in Health Mela, of those 9,66,558 people received medicine for their health ailments while around 7,22,045 persons availed diagnostic services. Under Health Melas, NCD screening services are also provided, 7,12,591 screenings were done for hypertension, 6,71,506 screenings for diabetes, 5,67,792 screenings for oral cancer, 3,24,799 screening for breast cancer and 2,08,400 screening for cervix cancer. Active TB screening was also done in Health Mela at AB-HWCs. 2,58,405 screenings were done for Tuberculosis.
Till March 2023, a total of 58,676 melas has been conducted under Azadi Ka Amrit Mahotsav.
(Data Source- AB-HWC Portal)