PM-ABHIM is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme with some Central Sector Components, for implementation of the Atmanirbhar Bharat Package for health sector as announced by Hon’ble Finance Minister in May 2020. The objective of the scheme is to fill critical gaps in health infrastructure, surveillance and health research – spanning both the urban and rural areas so that the communities are Atmanirbhar in managing such pandemic/ health crisis. It is the largest Pan-India scheme for public health infrastructure since 2005.

The components of the PM-ABHIM scheme are:

Centrally Sponsored Components:

1 . Rural Health and Wellness Centres: Under PM-ABHIM, provision is available for necessary infrastructure support for construction of 17,788 building less Sub Health Centres level AB-HWCs in rural areas in 7 High Focus States (Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal) and 3 North-eastern States (Assam, Manipur and Meghalaya) cumulatively over a five-year duration from FY 21-22 to FY 25-26.

2. Urban Health and Wellness Centres: Under PM-ABHIM, 11,024 Urban HWCs cumulatively over a five-year duration from FY 21-22 to FY 25-26 are envisaged to be established across all the States & UTs to ensure provision of comprehensive primary health care to the urban population.

3. Block Public Health Units: Under the scheme, it is envisaged to establish 3382 BPHUs in all the Blocks of the 11 EAG States/UTs (Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, UT – Jammu and Kashmir, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand) by 2025-26 with the objective to equip the Block level health units to handle public health emergencies and to respond & monitor the healthcare services.

4. Integrated Public Health Labs: An Integrated Public Health Laboratories in all 730 districts will be set-up under the scheme to optimise access to laboratory services, quality assurance efforts, cost-effectiveness, and efficient use of human resources. The objectives of IPHL are to strengthen the infectious and non-infectious disease surveillance system, to provide accurate data for enhancing timely response for disease outbreak, to provide mentorship to block Public Health Lab and serve as diagnostic hub for block CHC labs (spokes) and to support laboratory investigations of outbreaks.

5. Critical Care Hospital Blocks: Under PM-ABHIM, support is available to establish 602

Critical Care Hospital Blocks (100/75/50-bedded) in all districts with population more than 5 lakhs and with referral linkages in other districts. Objective of the critical care blocks is to augment the capacity of the district for assured treatment and management of patients with infectious diseases or critical illnesses by creating Critical Care Hospital Blocks /Wings at District Hospitals/ Medical Colleges and to ensure health system preparedness for future outbreaks.

Operational Guidelines on the CSS components of the scheme and the Technical Guidelines on the components of District Integrated Public Health laboratory and Critical Care Hospital Blocks under PM-ABHIM have been disseminated to States/UTs for the implementation of the PM– ABHIM.