Healthcare at your doorstep

Janjgir-Champa's lean governance boosts health services. Ejaz Kaiser looks at the district's success story

- Ejaz Kaiser

The Janjgir-Champa district administration considers health a fundamental right of every citizen; consequently, giving access to improved healthcare to everyone has become a wholehearted commitment. This conviction led to a viable, streamlined campaign, Swastha Jangjir Champa Abhiyan (SJCA), pioneered by district collector Akash Chhikara.

Under this campaign, the administration combined six flagship schemes of the Centre to provide doorstep delivery of multiple health-related services. These include screenings for TB, leprosy, and sickle cell; creating Ayushman cards for every eligible person; and identifying Divyang citizens (persons with disabilities) to provide them with the requisite certificates. The campaign was carried out in saturation mode—the authorities wanted to ensure that no eligible citizen was deprived.