Jan 10, 2017
Swachh Swasth Sarvatra
Swachh Swasth Sarvatra is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the Ministry of Drinking Water and Sanitation (MDWS) to achieve better health outcomes through improved sanitation and increased awareness and healthy lifestyles.
Advancing from Swachh Bharat to Swasth Bharat is a natural step. Open Defecation Free (ODF) should not be limited to creation of infrastructure alone but it should also bring the positive change in the habits and mindsets of people. “Swachh Swasth Sarvatra” is a much needed programme to achieve open defecation-free India by 2019.
The three key components of Swachh Swasth Sarvatra are:
.Community Health Centres (CHCs) in ODF blocks supported to achieve Kayakalp certification.
.Gram Panchayat of Kayakalp Primary Health Centres (PHCs) prioritized to become ODF.
.Training in WASH (Water, Sanitation and Hygiene) of CHC/PHC nominees.
In blocks, where through efforts of the MDWS and local community, open defecation has been eliminated, the MOHFW will provide the Community Health Centre (CHC), a grant of Rs. 10 lakhs to ensure that the facility achieves the quality benchmarks for sanitation, hygiene and infection control with a minimum score of 70 under the Kayakalp assessment. Improved sanitation practices of the community are expected to complement the high level of sanitation and hygiene in the health care facility, and consequently reduce the disease burden related to water borne diseases.
In the first phase, during 2017-18, the CHCs located in or catering to population in the 700 blocks that have been declared ODF and Gram Panchayats/Nagar Panchayats within which the Kayakalp PHCs (one each in 670 districts) are located will be covered in the initiative. The envisaged activities will culminate in a process of certification by the end of the financial year. Such CHCs and PHCs would be designated as SwachhRatna CHC and SwachhRatna PHC. The scheme may be progressively extended to additional blocks and public health facilities.
