Mumbai, May 18 (IANS) Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Monday said the state government was focusing on the effective implementation of various Central and state government schemes to provide quality and accessible healthcare services to citizens across Maharashtra.

He directed all departments to work in coordination and complete the construction of Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Critical Care Blocks and laboratories within the stipulated timeframe to make the state’s healthcare system more effective, qualitative and citizen-centric.

The Chief Minister’s War Room has been set up to monitor social sector schemes. Under this mechanism, CM Fadnavis reviewed various health department schemes of the Central and state governments.

A detailed review was conducted of pending works related to the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, strengthening of health infrastructure under the 15th Finance Commission, the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM), establishment of new medical colleges and the HPV vaccination campaign.

CM Fadnavis said the government was placing special emphasis on creating quality and easily accessible healthcare services in both urban and rural areas of the state.

For this purpose, an action plan for Maharashtra has been prepared after studying healthcare systems in several states, including Tamil Nadu, and it must now be implemented effectively, he said.

“It is essential that the funds received from the Central Government are utilised within the stipulated timeframe. Therefore, all District Collectors should personally monitor and expedite the construction of Ayushman Arogya Mandirs, Critical Care Blocks and Integrated Public Health Laboratories. While there were initial delays, the performance of districts is now satisfactory,” the Chief Minister said.

He further stated that although progress in some districts remained slow, all districts must now focus on completing projects according to schedule.

“There should be no lack of coordination among departments in pending projects. Work should be completed with a positive administrative approach,” he said.

CM Fadnavis also stressed the need to change the mindset of treating the health sector as a low-priority area.

He said government healthcare facilities must reflect quality, cleanliness and proper branding, and officials should work to change the perception that government hospitals are associated with poor hygiene and sub-standard services.

The Chief Minister also encouraged officials to adopt innovative approaches, noting that modular technology enables high-quality and time-bound construction.

Referring to the transformation of a primary health centre in Pune, he said similar initiatives should be replicated in other parts of the state.

“Every officer must take ownership of their work so that citizens can experience a visible improvement in the quality of the government healthcare system,” he said.

Directing officials to immediately resolve hurdles in setting up medical colleges, CM Fadnavis warned that the deadlines discussed during the meeting had been formally recorded.

“Progress will be reviewed in the next War Room meeting, and officials will be expected to fulfil the commitments made today. Do not keep issues pending; increase follow-up action,” he said.

He added that if issues could not be resolved at one level, they should immediately be escalated to the Head of Department, Secretary, Chief Secretary, Minister or the Chief Minister instead of allowing delays.

During the meeting, the HPV vaccination campaign launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to prevent cervical cancer was also reviewed. Maharashtra has been given a target of vaccinating nearly 10 lakh girls.

The Chief Minister directed officials to undertake extensive awareness campaigns at the district level and secure parental consent to achieve the target.

He also said construction work on 13 new medical colleges was underway in the state and instructed officials to immediately remove bottlenecks delaying these projects.

Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said projects related to Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and medical colleges were being fast-tracked to strengthen the state’s healthcare infrastructure.

“Strengthening healthcare facilities is the government’s core objective. The implementation of the Ayushman Arogya Mandir initiative is being regularly reviewed. The upgradation of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) will provide better facilities to citizens in both rural and urban areas. In addition, medical college projects will help increase healthcare manpower,” Shinde said.

He also directed the Urban Development Department to resolve pending matters related to municipal corporations and municipal councils and asked all concerned departments to work in coordination for speedy implementation.

Medical Education Minister Hasan Mushrif pointed out that hospital construction projects had faced hurdles at certain locations because of Public Works Department (PWD) norms.

He suggested that decisions on required modifications should be taken at the appropriate level to ensure that construction work was not delayed.

Mushrif also noted that while structural work had been completed at some project sites, basic facilities such as drinking water supply and roads were yet to be completed. He urged the respective District Collectors to address these issues urgently so that the facilities could become fully operational.

Public Health Minister Prakash Abitkar shared details about the large-scale upgradation of PHCs being undertaken in the state.

“A total of 55 PHC centres have been upgraded so far. Old centres under I, O and G+1 categories have been restructured and developed according to I-PHC standards, with emphasis on infrastructure, branding and a modern look. Expanding the scope of the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana to PHCs will ensure better service delivery to citizens,” he said.

–IANS

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