National Health Mission (NHM) Nagaland mission director, Dr. Akuo Sorhie, said Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) have been conceptualized to provide Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC), to ensure highest possible level of health and well-being to all ages, through a set of preventives, promotive, curative and rehabilitative services.
A press release by NHM Nagaland Department of Health and Family Welfare (DoH&FW) informed that Dr. Sorhie said this while delivering a keynote address at the inaugural programme of a five-day training on expanded packages of services under CPHC for Staff Nurses organised by NHM Nagaland in collaboration with Jhpiego- Nagaland Team, Tuesday.
With the epidemiological transition and increased burden of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) in India, Dr. Sorhie said it was critical that a more comprehensive gamut of services was delivered at the patients’ first point of contact with the health system.
She said the service package in the existing health facilities has been Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) centric. However, under this initiative, she said the HWCs would provide comprehensive primary health services, which would include components of non-communicable diseases, ophthalmic, ENT, oral health, palliative and geriatric care, emergency and trauma care, screening and management of basic mental health ailments much beyond the existing RMNCH+A services.
Dr. Akuo further appealed to the nurses present to commit to ensure quality health care for all the citizens by transforming the public health care delivery system in the state.
Delivering an overview of CPHC, state program officer, NHM Nagaland, Dr. Mereninla Senlem, said that the program was intended to reduce out-of -pocket expenses and bring healthcare closer to the doorstep of the people. She also mentioned that, with the paradigm shift in the health scenario, NCDs have been added to the packages of service provided in the HWCs.
Mentioning “point of care and continuum of care” as one of the important concepts of the CHPC, Dr. Senlem stressed on the importance of personnel at the health units working as a team to implement the same.
In an update on the vector borne scenario in Nagaland, additional director and State program officer (SPO) of National Vector Borne Disease Control Program, Dr. R. Chubala Aier said India was at the call for the elimination of Malaria by 2030. She said Nagaland was one of the fore-runners for this elimination and one of the best performing states amongst the north-eastern states.
Dr. Aier requested the participants to work towards prevention of vector borne diseases before the onset of the monsoon in the state by sensitising the people, especially at the grassroots level, on preventive measures and most importantly on the services available at the health units.
SPO of National TB Elimination Program (NTEP) and Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Program (PMNDP), Dr. Vizokholo Theyo, mentioned that the program’s goal was to eliminate TB by 2025.
She gave a brief insight into the Cough App, which was to be installed in all the HWCs by 2024 through which any patient with a history of cough would be screened.
She said that a hand-held X-Ray with Artificial Intelligence has been installed in NHAK, adding that the machine would be provided to other districts in the coming years.
Dr. Vizokholo said the department was looking more at the preventive approach so that universal health coverage and health for all was achieved.
The inaugural programme was chaired by deputy director, NHM, Dr. Manyau, and vote of thanks delivered by SPO, RMNCHA+N, NHM, Dr. Khelito Zhimomi.
The five-day training sessions are being attended by the staff nurses posted at Ayushman Bharat- HWCs – Primary Health Centres (PHCs) from the district of Mokokchung, Mon, Longleng, Kiphire, Dimapur and Kohima, which would be followed by the training of nurses from the remaining districts.
During the five-day training, the staff nurses would be trained on the 12 expanded packages of services viz. care in pregnancy and childbirth, neonatal and infant health care services, childhood and adolescent health care services, family planning, contraceptive services and other reproductive health care services, management of communicable diseases: national health programmes, general out-patient care for acute simple illnesses and minor ailments, screening, prevention, control and management of non-communicable diseases, care for common ophthalmic and ENT problems, basic oral health care, elderly and palliative health care services, emergency medical services including burns and trauma, screening and basic management of mental health ailments.
NHM Nagaland said the training would also be taken as a part of Continuing Nursing Education (CNE) and the Nagaland Nursing Council (NNC) has awarded 24 credit hours for the trainees (staff nurses) participating in the training.