Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Gulam Nabi Azad launched the National Urban Health Mission in Bangalore today. The programme aims at providing health security to urban poor. It envisages creation of necessary health check up infrastructure and the manpower requirement.
Central Government will share 80 per cent of the cost to implement the programme. All the 779 urban areas with over 50,000 population in the country will be covered under the programme by March 2015.
Speaking after launching of the programme in Bangalore, the Union Minister said that Primary health centres, sub-centres, referal units will be strengthened in urban areas and they will be manned by ANMs. These centres will be visited by mobile health check-up vans which will have two doctors, two nurses and a pharmacist.
Around 20 crore people in urban areas will have access to free health care, with the launch of this programme.
Chief Minister of Karnataka Siddaramaiah, Health minister in the state U T Khadar, other council of ministers and Mission Director for NHM Anuradha Gupta was present on this occasion.