Jharkhand Govt approves 245 block public health units at Rs 203.35 Crore
Ranchi: The Jharkhand government has taken a major step towards strengthening the state's public health infrastructure with the decision to establish 245 Block Public Health Units (BPHUs) across all Assembly constituencies in every district, at a total cost of Rs 203.35 crore.
Health Minister Irfan Ansari said the establishment of BPHUs marks a historic and far-sighted move to reinforce healthcare delivery at the grassroots level. He stated that the objective is to ensure quality health services, timely diagnosis, accurate data management and rapid public health response at the block level, enabling effective control of diseases and potential epidemics at an early stage. He added that tribal, remote and marginalised populations would be the primary beneficiaries of this initiative, news agency UNI reported.
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The BPHUs are being developed as decentralised public health and service delivery platforms at the block level, aimed at improving coordination between clinical services and public health functions. These units will play a key institutional role in disease surveillance, planning, emergency preparedness and coordinated public health response.
Each Block Public Health Unit will comprise an existing service delivery institution such as a Community Health Centre, Sub-Divisional Hospital or Block Primary Health Centre, along with a Block Public Health Laboratory (BPHL) and a Block Health Management Information System (HMIS) Cell. This integrated structure is expected to enhance data-driven decision-making and strengthen monitoring of health indicators.
The primary objective of establishing BPHUs is to safeguard and improve the health status of block-level populations, with special focus on remote, difficult, tribal and underserved areas. The initiative will enable decentralised planning, early identification of health risks and prompt, evidence-based interventions, reports UNI.
The large-scale establishment of 245 BPHUs is being undertaken under the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) and with support from the 15th Finance Commission. Officials said this would lay a strong foundation for a resilient, decentralised and people-centric public health system in Jharkhand, positioning the state as a leading model in public health governance in the country.
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