Resource detail

Urban growth has led to rapid increase in number of urban poor population, many of whom live in slums and other squatter settlements. Poor environmental conditions in the slums along with high population density makes them vulnerable to lung diseases like asthma, tuberculosis etc. Slums also have a high-incidence of vector borne diseases and cases of malaria among the urban poor are twice as high as other urbanites.

In order to effectively address the above health concers, the Union Cabinet (India) gave its approval to launch a National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) as a new sub-mission under the over-arching National Health Mission (NHM). Under the Scheme the following proposals have been approved:

1. One Urban Primary Health Centre (U-PHC) for every fifty to sixty thousand population.

2. One Urban Community Health Centre (U-CHC) for five to six U-PHCs in big cities.

3. One Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANM) for 10,000 population.

4. One Accredited Social Health Activist ASHA (community link worker) for 200 to 500 households.

The scheme will focus on primary health care needs of the urban poor. This Mission will be implemented in 779 cities and towns with more than 50,000 population and cover about 7.75 crore people.

The interventions under the sub-mission will result in (1) Reduction in Infant Mortality Rate; (2) Reduction in Maternal Mortality Ratio; (3) Universal access to reproductive health care; (4) Convergence of all health related interventions.