As of 13 March 2024, how many primary health centres have been upgraded to Ayushman Arogya Mandir with the aim of bringing quality healthcare closer to rural communities?

1. A

   More than 3.2 lakh

2. B

   More than 2.5 crore

3. C

   More than 1.9 crores

4. D

   More than 1.69 lakh

Appeared in: DSSSB 12 August 2024

Explanation

• The Government of India has been upgrading Sub-Health Centres (SHCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) into Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, formerly known as Health and Wellness Centres.
• According to official data cited in the reference text, as of March 31, 2024, a total of 1,72,148 such centres were operational across the country.
• This figure of 1,72,148 is correctly represented by the option "More than 1.69 lakh".
• The goal of this initiative is to provide Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC), including services for non-communicable diseases, closer to communities.

Why Other Options Were Wrong

• Option A: This figure is a significant overestimation of the number of upgraded centres as of early 2024. The actual number was closer to 1.72 lakh.
• Option B: This number is excessively high for physical health centres. It more likely refers to metrics like the number of hospital admissions or total screenings conducted under the Ayushman Bharat scheme, not the count of facilities.
• Option C: Similar to the option of 2.5 crore, this figure is out of scale for physical centres. Numbers in crores typically represent beneficiaries or services rendered, not infrastructure.

Related Visual

Clinical Relevance

• Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Ayushman Arogya Mandir Initiative as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
• The upgrade to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs signifies a shift in primary care from a selective to a comprehensive model, focusing on preventive and promotive health.
• For nurses, particularly Community Health Officers (CHOs), this expands their role to include screening, management, and follow-up for chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, which were previously managed mainly at higher-level facilities.
• This initiative strengthens the referral pathway, ensuring that patients identified at the primary level can be seamlessly referred for specialized care when needed.

How to Approach the Question

• First, identify the core of the question: It asks for a specific statistic (number of centres) related to a major national health program (Ayushman Arogya Mandir) as of a specific date (March 2024).
• Recognize this as a factual recall question that depends on knowledge of current affairs in Indian public health.
• Analyze the scale of the options provided. Two are in 'lakhs' (hundreds of thousands) and two are in 'crores' (tens of millions).
• Apply logical reasoning: The number of physical health centres in a country is likely to be in the thousands or lakhs, not tens of millions. This makes the 'crore' options highly improbable for this question, allowing you to narrow down the choices.
• Between the 'lakh' options, recall or deduce the most recent official figure. The program's target was 1.5 lakh centres, and by 2024 it had exceeded this target.
• Compare the known figure (around 1.72 lakh) with the remaining options ('More than 3.2 lakh' and 'More than 1.69 lakh') to select the most accurate one.

Concept Tested & Keywords

• Concept Tested: Ayushman Arogya Mandir Initiative
• Stem keywords: Ayushman Arogya Mandir, primary health centres, upgraded, March 2024
• Lead-in keywords: how many

Question ID

QSzOfXw0buhBe6bgpw0LbE

Copy ID

Reference Book

E6 Parks TextBook of Preventive & Social Medicine part 1 — Subpart C (pp 404-604 of 604) p. 165-167