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All healthcare workers to undergo special training from March in Maha
Aim is to strengthen grassroots healthcare, reduce disease burden and ease pressure on secondary and tertiary hospitals, said health officials.
Pune: The Maharashtra Public Health department will roll out the ‘Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC)’ training programme across the state from next month, aiming to strengthen grassroots healthcare, reduce disease burden and ease pressure on secondary and tertiary hospitals, said health officials.
The CPHC focuses on disease prevention, early detection, continuity of care and effective referral systems, helping lower healthcare costs for both the system and patients. Under the initiative, all healthcare workers — from ASHA workers at the village level to medical officers and doctors — will be trained in a phased manner.
The first state-level CPHC workshop was organised in Pune on February 20, bringing together around 450 trainers selected from across the state. The workshop marked the beginning of the year-long training programme.
Speaking at the workshop, Dr Vijay Kandewad, director of health services, outlined the background of the programme and explained how trainers will work over the year, ensuring coordination from sub-centre level to the state level.
Health Secretary Dr Nipun Vinayak Pradhan emphasised that effective training implementation is key to strengthening healthcare delivery, especially through the 13 core health services under CPHC. These include maternal and child health, immunisation, family planning, and screening and treatment for non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and hypertension.
The training modules have been developed by the State Institute of Health and Family Welfare (SIHFW), Maharashtra. Feedback from the Pune workshop will be used to make modifications in the existing modules before statewide rollout.
Dr Suhas Kore, principal, Health and Family Welfare Training Centre, Pune, informed that the training of trainers will be conducted from March 1 to 15, followed by district-level training from April. “The CPHC will lead to early diagnosis and prevention of diseases, improved health awareness, better referral and follow-up services, and accessible, affordable healthcare for all. The services will be delivered mainly through Health and Wellness Centres under the Ayushman Bharat programme,” he said.
