Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launches PM Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission. He will also inaugurate various development projects worth more than Rs 5200 crore for Varanasi.

Prime Minister Atmanirbhar Swasth Bharat Yojana (PMASBY) will be one of the largest pan-India scheme for strengthening healthcare infrastructure across the country. It will be in addition to the National Health Mission.

The objective of PMASBY is to fill critical gaps in public health infrastructure, especially in critical care facilities and primary care in both the urban and rural areas. It will provide support for 17,788 rural Health and Wellness Centres in 10 High Focus States. Further, 11,024 urban Health and Wellness Centres will be established in all the States.

Critical care services will be available in all the districts of the country with more than 5 lakh population, through Exclusive Critical Care Hospital Blocks, while the remaining districts will be covered through referral services.

People will have access to a full range of diagnostic services in the Public Healthcare system through Network of laboratories across the country. Integrated Public Health Labs will be set up in all the districts.

Under PMASBY, a National Institution for One Health, 4 New National Institutes for Virology, a Regional Research Platform for WHO South East Asia Region, 9 Biosafety Level III laboratories, 5 New Regional National Centre for Disease Control will be set up.

PMASBY targets to build an IT enabled disease surveillance system by developing a network of surveillance laboratories at block, district, regional and national levels, in Metropolitan areas. Integrated Health Information Portal will be expanded to all States/UTs to connect all public health labs.

PMASBY also aims at Operationalisation of 17 new Public Health Units and strengthening of 33 existing Public Health Units at Points of Entry, for effectively detect.