Comprehensive care provided at Ayushmann Arogya Mandir for hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus and common cancers
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Ayushman Arogya Mandir hypertension diabetes common cancers screening comprehensive primary health care
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Ayushman Arogya Mandir NCD screening protocol oral breast cervical cancer population based screening
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https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2210432&re…
Comprehensive Care at Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM) for Hypertension, Type 2 Diabetes and Common Cancers
Background
Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM) is the renamed (2023) version of the Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) launched in 2018 under Ayushman Bharat. It is the primary-care pillar of Ayushman Bharat (the second pillar being PM-JAY insurance for secondary/tertiary care). AAMs are created by upgrading Sub-Health Centres and rural/urban Primary Health Centres, and are meant to deliver free, universal Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) covering preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative services. As of 30 November 2025, over 1,81,873 AAMs are operational, with a cumulative footfall of 494.71 crore and 41.93 crore teleconsultations.
Non-communicable disease (NCD) care - specifically hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and three common cancers (oral, breast, cervical) - is one of the 12 expanded service packages delivered at AAM, alongside TB/leprosy, mental health, ENT, ophthalmology, oral health, geriatric/palliative care, emergency services, and wellness/yoga.
The Care Model: Population-Based Screening to Continuum of Care
1. Screening (Population-Based Screening, PBS)
- Universal opportunistic and population-based screening targets everyone aged 30 years and above for hypertension, diabetes, and oral cancer (both sexes), plus breast and cervical cancer screening for women aged 30 and above.
- Screening is delivered by Multi-Purpose Workers (MPWs), ASHAs, and Community Health Officers (CHOs)/Mid-Level Health Providers who staff the AAM, trained via dedicated modules (the MPW module and Staff Nurse module on PBS of NCDs, and the Medical Officer module on "Prevention, Control & PBS of Hypertension, Diabetes and Common Cancer").
- Cancer screening uses low-cost, field-feasible techniques per the 2016 national Operational Framework: visual inspection for oral cancer, clinical breast examination (CBE) for breast cancer, and visual inspection with acetic acid (VIA) for cervical cancer.
2. Diagnosis and confirmation
- Screen-positive individuals for hypertension/diabetes are confirmed using point-of-care testing (BP measurement protocols, blood glucose) available at the AAM; screen-positive cancer suspects are referred upward for biopsy/further diagnostic work-up.
3. Treatment initiation and drug dispensing
- AAMs stock an Essential Drug List (separate lists exist for Sub-Health-Centre-level and PHC/UPHC-level AAMs) so that anti-hypertensives and anti-diabetic medicines can be dispensed close to the patient's home, supporting treatment initiation and continuity without requiring travel to higher facilities.
4. Follow-up and referral (continuum of care)
- A study of AAM functionality (Desai et al., 2025) found these centres are functional for diagnosis, treatment initiation, and continuity of care specifically for hypertension and diabetes, with structured upward referral (to CHCs/district hospitals for complications or confirmed cancer) and downward referral (back to the AAM for maintenance follow-up once stabilized).
- Teleconsultation via eSanjeevani links AAM-based CHOs to specialists for case discussion and management guidance - averaging around 95 teleconsultations per AAM per month, with about 30.76 crore cumulative teleconsultations recorded by November 2024.
Scale of Achievement (as of 30 November 2025, MoHFW data)
| Indicator | Cumulative figure |
|---|---|
| Hypertension screenings | 39.50 crore |
| Diabetes screenings | 36.70 crore |
| Oral cancer screenings | 32.40 crore |
| Cervical cancer screenings (women) | 15.23 crore |
| Breast cancer screenings (women) | >8.37 crore |
| Yoga/wellness sessions | 6.54 crore |
(Slightly earlier PMC data to November 2024 cites even higher cumulative totals - 84.91 crore hypertension and 74.24 crore diabetes screenings - reflecting different reporting windows/methodology, but the trend of rapid scale-up is consistent.)
Impact and Outcomes
According to a narrative review in PMC, the AAM rollout has coincided with India's WHO Universal Health Coverage Service Coverage Index rising from 57 (2015) to 63 (2021), and out-of-pocket health expenditure falling from 60.6% (2014-15) to 39.4% (2021-22) per National Health Accounts estimates. The same review and the PIB press release frame AAM as central to bringing NCD and cancer care into a "continuum of care" model spanning primary-to-tertiary levels, rather than the earlier vertical, selective programs.
Persisting Challenges
The literature flags workforce shortages (especially CHOs/MLHPs and MOs trained in PBS), infrastructure gaps, and supply-chain issues (essential drugs and diagnostics) as ongoing constraints to fully realizing the comprehensive-care model, even though the rollout of the expanded service package increased from about 50% of AAMs by March 2023 to 82% by November 2024.
Sources: Official AAM portal, PIB press release on Initiatives & Achievements 2025, Ayushman Arogya Mandir and India's progress toward UHC (PMC narrative review), and Functionality of AAMs for hypertension and diabetes care (PMC).
Note: I did not find directly relevant textbook coverage of this India-specific government health-scheme program in the medical library (it indexes clinical/basic-science textbooks, not health-policy documents), so this answer relies on official government and peer-reviewed policy-review sources rather than the textbook library.
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