Ayushman Sahakar Scheme: Boosting Healthcare Infrastructure through Cooperatives
The Indian healthcare sector has been facing several challenges for years, including inadequate infrastructure, shortage of skilled healthcare professionals, and limited access to affordable and quality healthcare services, especially in rural areas. The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the need for a robust healthcare system that can effectively respond to emergencies and ensure the well-being of its citizens. To address these challenges and promote the growth of the healthcare sector, the Government of India has launched several initiatives, including the Ayushman Sahakar Scheme. The Ayushman Sahakar Scheme is a cooperative-based scheme launched in 2020 by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare in collaboration with the National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC). The scheme aims to strengthen the healthcare infrastructure in the country by promoting the formation of healthcare cooperatives, which can provide affordable and quality healthcare services to its members and the community. Under the Ayushman Sahakar Scheme, the government will provide financial assistance of up to Rs.10 crore to the eligible cooperatives for the establishment of healthcare facilities. The scheme will also provide technical assistance to the cooperatives for project planning, implementation, and management. The healthcare cooperatives can be formed by any registered cooperative society, including farmers’ cooperatives, dairy cooperatives, and women’s cooperatives, among others.
Table of Contents
About NDCC
The National Cooperative Development Corporation (NCDC) was created as statutory body under the Ministry of Agriculture & Farmers Welfare by an Act of Parliament in 1963. Since 1963, NCDC has given cooperatives loans totaling about Rs. 1.60 lakh crore.Planning, promoting, and funding programmes for the production, processing, marketing, storage, export, and import of goods as well as the supply of consumer goods is the primary responsibility of NCDC. In addition to the Ayushman Sahakar Plan, NCDC also introduced two more significant programmes:
- The Sahakar Mitra Scheme
- Yuva Sahakar
- Sahakar Pragya initiative
Key Features
The National Cooperative Development Corporation will make the Ayushman Sahakar Fund available, and any cooperative society with the necessary resources to carry out healthcare-related activities will be able to access the NCDC fund.
- A total of Rs. 10,000 crores in term loans will be given to potential cooperatives.
- The primary focus will be on developing the infrastructure for healthcare and education, as well as on building new hospitals and renovating existing ones.
- Working capital and margin funds must also be given to the cooperatives in order to meet the requirements.
- Under the Ayushman Sahakar plan, interest subvention of 1% would also be offered to cooperatives with a majority of women.
Objectives
The Ayushman Sahakar Scheme has several objectives, including:
- To promote the formation of healthcare cooperatives that can provide affordable and quality healthcare services to their members and the community.
- To improve the availability and accessibility of healthcare services in rural and remote areas of the country.
- To create employment opportunities in the healthcare sector, especially in rural areas.
- To promote the use of technology in healthcare delivery and management.
- To promote public-private partnership in the healthcare sector
Significance
The relevance of the Ayushman Sahakar Program is as follows:
52 hospitals in India are operated by cooperatives. They have a bed strength of roughly 5000. They can increase this number by putting the Ayushman Sahakar Program into practice.Cooperating hospitals will be assisted by Ayushman Sahakar in implementing medical and AYUSH education. Also, this plan will significantly advance rural areas.
Positive Impact
The Ayushman Sahakar Scheme is expected to have a significant impact on the healthcare sector in the country. By promoting the formation of healthcare cooperatives, the scheme will help in the establishment of healthcare facilities in areas where there is a lack of infrastructure. This will improve the availability and accessibility of healthcare services to the community, especially in rural and remote areas. The scheme will also create employment opportunities in the healthcare sector, which will help in addressing the issue of unemployment in the country.
The Ayushman Sahakar Scheme will also promote the use of technology in healthcare delivery and management. The healthcare cooperatives can leverage technology to provide telemedicine services, remote monitoring, and digital health records, among others. This will not only improve the quality of healthcare services but also help in reducing the cost of healthcare delivery.
The Ayushman Sahakar Scheme will also promote public-private partnership in the healthcare sector. The healthcare cooperatives can collaborate with private healthcare providers to provide specialized healthcare services to their members and the community. This will help in bridging the gap between the public and private healthcare sectors and provide a comprehensive healthcare system to the citizens.
The Ayushman Sahakar Scheme has been well received by the healthcare sector in the country. The scheme has the potential to transform the healthcare landscape in the country by promoting the formation of healthcare cooperatives and improving the availability and accessibility of healthcare services to the community. The scheme will also create employment opportunities in the healthcare sector and promote the use of technology in healthcare delivery and management.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Ayushman Sahakar Scheme is a significant initiative by the Government of India to boost the healthcare infrastructure in the country. The scheme has several objectives, including promoting the formation of healthcare cooperatives, improving the availability and accessibility of healthcare services, creating employment opportunities in the healthcare sector, promoting the use of technology in healthcare delivery and management, and promoting public-private partnership in the healthcare sector. The scheme has the potential to transform the healthcare landscape in the Indian Healthcare Sector.
