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National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) - Benefits & Objectives

Team AckoDec 6, 2024

The National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) was launched in 2005 to address these issues. According to the 2011 Census, more than 37.7 crore people live in urban areas in India, accounting for over 31.16% of the country's total population. This puts a strain on the healthcare system in these urban areas, making healthcare more expensive. Overall, increasing costs make it difficult for low-income groups to access necessary medical services, which can cause severe health issues. The National Urban Health Mission aims to solve these problems.

Contents

What is the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM)?
Roles and objectives of NUHM
Roles and Responsibilities of NUHM
Objectives of NUHM
Benefits of National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) Scheme
Essential Features of the National Urban Health Mission Scheme
Eligibility for National Urban Health Mission Scheme
Frequently asked questions

What is the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM)?

The National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) is one of the healthcare schemes of the Indian government launched in 2005. The primary purpose of NUHM launched in India was to provide better and more affordable healthcare services to economically backward people residing in urban households at an affordable price. This scheme comes under the National Health Mission. Here are some factors that drive the NUHM.

1. Expensive healthcare costs

In the past few decades, there has been a significant increase in the technologies and scientific advancements in the nursing and healthcare sectors. As a result, The costs of health care services have drastically increased. Therefore, NUHM was introduced by the Indian government to meet the primary healthcare needs of the poor urban population.

2. Population explosion

Since 1941, India has witnessed significant growth in urban population. According to a United Nations (UN) report, India's urban population will reach 675 million soon, maybe by 2035. Considering the current urbanisation rate, 46% of the Indian population will be in urban areas by the end of 2030.

3. Poor health of children

According to a recent survey, 46% of the urban children are underweight. Immunity problems related to children are also growing day by day. So, the government came forward and decided to help the urban population in meeting their healthcare needs through the National Urban Health Mission.

Roles and objectives of NUHM

The National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) mainly focuses on improving the urban population's healthcare needs. The focus is on the poor and less advantaged people of society. This scheme aims to provide them with fair access to quality healthcare services through a well-designed public health system. This involves the involvement of the local government bodies as well. The NUHM specialises in meeting the healthcare needs of people living in listed and unlisted slums.

Roles and Responsibilities of NUHM

The National Urban Health Mission was an Indian government initiative to provide various healthcare benefits to the urban population, focusing on the underprivileged. The NUHM launched in India has many roles and responsibilities, such as:

1. Providing Accessible Healthcare

The NUHM launched in India aims to provide accessible healthcare services to underprivileged and low-income groups in urban areas. The scheme primarily focuses on providing affordable, easy-to-access healthcare services.

2. Running Disease-control Drives

Under the National Urban Health Mission scheme, disease-control drives are run, aiming to prevent the most communicable and non-communicable diseases in the areas covered by the scheme, including HIV/AIDS.

3. Focusing on Sanitation

Providing clean and hygienic living conditions is another step to preventing most diseases. Hence, the National Urban Health Mission programme places a strong emphasis on sanitation and hygiene to improve overall public health in urban areas.

4. Providing Maternal and Child Healthcare

The NUHM launched in India offers maternal and child healthcare benefits, attempting to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates. This is ensured by adequately training health workers and maintaining public awareness.

Objectives of NUHM

The NUHM launched in India plans to improve the health and sanitation of people living in urban areas. While its majority of aims and objectives align with addressing healthcare shortcomings, it also plans disease prevention and mortality reduction. Here are some more of its objectives:

1. Developing Healthcare Systems and Infrastructure

Under the NUHM programme launched in India, healthcare systems and sustainable infrastructure development are heavily emphasised. This ensures adequate health services are provided to people in need at the right time.

2. Addressing Health Worker Shortages

Since health worker shortages can pose severe risks during emergencies, the NUHM programme plans to improve the strength of health workers in urban areas. This is achieved by providing adequate training to the people in the service.

3. Providing Affordable Healthcare Services

Offering affordable and easily accessible health services to people in the urban spaces, specifically focusing on the low-income groups, is another objective of the National Urban Health Mission launched by the Indian government.

4. Reducing Mortality Rates

The NUHM focuses on reducing maternal and infant mortality in urban areas under its jurisdiction. While the programme helps create awareness about the problem, advancements in healthcare services help prevent such cases.

5. Reducing Health Inequalities

Health inequalities refer to the differences in the health levels of individuals in a demographic. This means that some people tend to live longer and healthier lives while others do not. Usually, these inequalities are avoidable and, thus, are focused on by the NUHM scheme.

Benefits of National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) Scheme

There are many benefits of the NUHM scheme proposed and implemented by the Indian government for the betterment of the urban population. Here are some of the key advantages of the programme:

1. Advanced Healthcare Services

Healthcare services provided under the NUHM launched in India are equipped with modern facilities and expert professionals. In addition, to make the scheme more effective, affordable cures for communicable and non-communicable diseases are provided.

2. Preventive Health Checkups

Under the scheme, preventive health checkups are offered to the public to identify underlying conditions before they become critical. During checkups, free medication and diagnostics are also provided.

3. Increased Awareness

The programme aims to increase awareness about healthcare issues. Healthcare staff are trained to provide effective solutions and partnered organisations help educate people about prevalent diseases and the need for frequent checkups.

4. Focus on Women and Children

Under the scheme, special attention is given to women and children. This ensures reduced maternal and infant mortality rates while also ensuring safe maternity processes for new mothers.

5. Home-based Healthcare Services

Under the National Urban Health Mission, special attention is paid to providing care and support for the elderly and bedridden. These patients are eligible to receive home-based healthcare services at a much greater convenience

Essential Features of the National Urban Health Mission Scheme

The NUHM offers various levels of preventive and curative healthcare services, which are included under the scheme for city dwellers. Here are some of its core features:

1. Diversified Healthcare Services

The National Urban Health Mission aims at providing diversified healthcare services to all sections of the urban population under its care. This includes preventive checkups, in-patient facilities, awareness programmes, curative measures and more at nominal prices.

2. Appointment of ANMs

ANMs are Auxiliary Nurse Midwives appointed in healthcare centres to educate individuals about prevalent issues and provide effective solutions and cures. A handful of ANMs are present at every centre for convenience.

3. Universal Healthcare Objectives

One of the main objectives of the NUHM launched in India is the provision of universal healthcare in urban areas. It plans to provide accessible and affordable healthcare, making preventive checkups and curative measures available to all income groups.

4. Solutions for Various Types of Ailments

The programme addresses both communicable and non-communicable diseases. It also includes checkups and diagnostic services for chronic conditions such as HIV/AIDS. In addition, preventive checkups are available for all types of diseases to promote early detection.

5. Partnerships and Communities

Under the NUHM launched in India, many organisations and hospitals partner to provide effective healthcare in time and increase awareness about ailments. In addition, many community-based groups also take action under the scheme.

Eligibility for National Urban Health Mission Scheme

The National Urban Health Mission scheme does not have income or minimum age criteria for accessing its benefits. Besides, people living in areas with a population exceeding 50,000 are automatically eligible to register for the programme's benefits. Moreover, the elderly, women and children, disabled patients, and people in certain low-income occupations are given more focus and benefits.

Contact address : Please visit the official Contact Us page of the National Health Mission website to contact the concerned person.

Frequently asked questions

Here are some common questions about the National Urban Health Mission.

Which year was the National Urban Health Mission or NUHM launched?

The National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) was launched by the Union Cabinet on May 1, 2013, to deliver quality healthcare services to the urban population, with a special emphasis on low-income groups.

Does the Central Government fund the National Health Mission (NHM)?

The Central Government partially funds the National Health Mission in conjunction with the state governments and Union Territories (UT). Most states and UTs share funding in a 60:40 ratio with the Central Government. For North-Eastern states, including Sikkim, as well as Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, the funding ratio is 90:10, with the Central Government covering the majority of the costs. For union territories with legislatures, such as Delhi and Puducherry, the funding follows the 60:40 ratio.

Which state leads in the implementation of the National Health Mission?

The NITI Aayog's 2019–20 health index has Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Maharashtra at the top. Uttar Pradesh ranks last on the index and has the lowest performance. The other four bottom-ranking states are Uttarakhand, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, and Bihar.

What are the functions of the National Urban Health Mission?

The National Urban Health Mission policy provides preventive and curative health benefits to the urban population. It also provides maternity benefits and home-based services for the elderly and disabled.

What is the objective of the National Urban Health Mission?

The National Urban Health Mission aims to provide universal health services to the urban population, with a special focus on the less advantaged groups. Under this scheme, a reduction in health inequalities is planned.

Source

Disclaimer: The content on this page is generic and shared only for informational and explanatory purposes. It is based on industry experience and several secondary sources on the internet, and is subject to changes.