Medicines listed as per EDL for which of the following needs to be ensured at Health Wellness Centre?

Hariyana-CHO-2021

Community Health Nursing

Medium

Appeared in: Hariyana-CHO-2021

Explanation

Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) are established by upgrading existing Sub-Centres and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) under the Ayushman Bharat initiative.
As per national guidelines, these HWCs are mandated to maintain an inventory of medicines based on the Essential Drug List (EDL) specified for the PHC and Sub-Centre level.
This policy ensures that essential medicines for primary and preventive care, including for non-communicable diseases, are accessible to the community at their first point of contact with the healthcare system.

Option B: Community Health Centres (CHCs) are secondary-level healthcare facilities that function as referral units for PHCs. They are not upgraded into HWCs under the Ayushman Bharat scheme.
Option C: This option is incorrect because it includes CHC. While PHCs and Sub-Centres are upgraded to HWCs, CHCs are not part of this model.
Option D: This is incorrect because there is a clear mandate for HWCs to maintain a specific Essential Drug List.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Essential Drug List (EDL) management at Health and Wellness Centres (HWC) within the Indian public health system as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Nurses and Community Health Officers (CHOs) at HWCs are primarily responsible for the inventory management of the EDL. This includes indenting supplies, ensuring proper storage (e.g., First-Expiry-First-Out or FEFO), and accurate dispensing.
Effective management of the EDL at the HWC level is critical for the success of managing chronic diseases like hypertension and diabetes, as it ensures patients receive their medications without having to travel to higher centers, thus improving adherence.
What if? If a patient at an HWC requires a specialized drug not on the HWC's EDL (e.g., an advanced antibiotic or a second-line antihypertensive), the nurse/CHO's responsibility is to provide initial care, stabilize the patient, and facilitate a referral to the linked PHC or CHC with a proper referral note for continuity of care.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the key terms in the question: 'Health Wellness Centre' (HWC) and 'Essential Drug List' (EDL).
Recall the structure of the Indian public health system, specifically under the Ayushman Bharat program.
Remember that HWCs are a recent initiative aimed at strengthening primary healthcare.
Connect the term 'HWC' to the specific facilities that are upgraded to become HWCs. This involves recalling that Sub-Centres and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) are the facilities being transformed.
Based on this, eliminate 'CHC' as it represents a higher, secondary level of care and is not part of the HWC upgradation model.
Conclude that the EDL to be ensured at an HWC must correspond to the level of the facility it is based on, which is the PHC/Sub-Centre.

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Essential Drug List (EDL) management at Health and Wellness Centres (HWC) within the Indian public health system.
Stem keywords: Medicines, EDL, Health Wellness Centre
Lead-in keywords: needs to be ensured

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E6 Comprehensive Textbook of Community Health NursingShyamala D part 1 (pp 26-389 of 389) pp. 329-331, 93-95

E6 Principles and Practice of NURSING Management Leadership for BSc Nursing 3rd Edi Jogindra Vati — Subpart A (pp 26-339 of 1017) p. 20-22