Gujarat CM inaugurates 'Aarogya Samiksha Kendra' for unified health monitoring

Gandhinagar, July 1 (IANS) Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Tuesday inaugurated ‘Aarogya Samiksha Kendra’ in Gandhinagar in the presence of Health Minister Rushikesh Patel.

This integrated review centre, established in the state capital, aims to become the nerve centre for monitoring, evaluating, and enhancing the delivery of health services, schemes, and programmes across Gujarat.

The newly-launched centre is designed to bring all health-related review mechanisms under one roof, enabling a comprehensive and data-driven approach to decision-making.

A key feature of the centre is its integrated helpline services, including the 104 Health Helpline, which is already operational and offers round-the-clock support to citizens seeking information, advice, and consultation regarding health issues and schemes.

In addition, the PMJAY-MA helpline has also been activated to guide beneficiaries of Ayushman Bharat and related insurance schemes.

The system allows for counselling, telemedical advice, and even virtual consultations between patients and doctors, with follow-up services such as medicine prescriptions and lab test instructions delivered via SMS.

The call centre set-up is especially notable, with over 100 trained personnel providing multilingual support on a wide range of health issues.

The facility is equipped with a Computer-Aided Dispatch (CAD) system, ensuring that all interactions are securely recorded, categorised, and stored for training, quality control, and future reference.

This initiative is implemented and managed by EMRI GHS, which specialises in emergency response systems.

Crucially, the Aarogya Samiksha Kendra is designed to extend the reach of healthcare services to remote and underserved regions of the state. Through structured outreach and beneficiary feedback mechanisms, the centre ensures that individuals who have been left out of immunisation programmes or healthcare benefits — particularly in tribal or interior regions — can be identified and directly connected to the necessary services.

The centre will serve as a real-time response unit to monitor progress and saturation levels of health schemes such as maternal and child care, TB treatment, immunisation, and nutrition.

Some of the key services being tracked include maternal health for high-risk pregnancies — such as women with sickle cell anemia, heart or kidney conditions, underweight issues, or low haemoglobin levels. In child health, various metrics will be evaluated to improve long-term well-being.

The centre also has a robust review mechanism for TB patients, including continuous follow-ups at 15 days, 2 months, 4 months, and post-treatment stages to ensure successful recovery, especially among high-risk individuals.

Under the universal immunisation programme, the centre will monitor vaccine delivery to mothers and children.

For PMJAY-MA beneficiaries, feedback will be systematically collected and analysed to identify gaps in service delivery. It will also monitor programs under the National Vector Borne Disease Control initiative, school health programs addressing Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM), and front-line worker support systems.

--IANS

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