Towards responsive and inclusive urban health systems

PATH with support from USAID (through Samagra Project, led by PSI) and Fondation Botnar, is promoting a robust urban health ecosystem and providing quality health care for all across the states of Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Manipur, and Odisha

PATH provides technical assistance to its intervention states for operationalization of a network of urban primary health care facilities, establishing a continuum of care, strengthening community engagement platforms for decentralized planning and meaningful community participation, enhancing urban governance, and co-designing locally relevant innovative solutions to address the intractable primary health care challenges.

Our technical support includes site identification for the establishment of new primary health care facilities in coordination with Urban Local Bodies, planning new infrastructure, training, and capacitating newly recruited primary health care teams, and ensuring the provision of quality services as per the Comprehensive Primary Health Care mandate.

Additionally, PATH has developed a menu of options for guiding the operationalization of polyclinics and a cafeteria approach for activating urban Ayushman Arogya Mandirs to deliver an expanded range of services.

Publication date: May 2024

Available materials

  1. English

    1. Project brochure 2.6 MB PDF

      This brochure is a comprehensive document that explores the evolving urban landscape and corresponding challenges faced in delivering urban primary health care. It outlines the overarching goal of the Samagra and foundation Botnar project that is to improve the availability, accessibility, and quality of primary health care services in urban settings.

      The brochure delves into the technical approach adopted by Samagra, articulating the program's objectives, its reach, and expected outcomes.
    2. Project factsheet 1.9 MB PDF

      To outline tailored interventions, state–specific factsheet is developed for intervention states. This factsheet includes key indicators that reflect the growth of the urban population, such as metrics for maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, under-five mortality rate, and total fertility rate.

      Additionally, the factsheet identifies areas where Samagra offers technical assistance in each state, and describes the specific initiatives undertaken to strengthen urban primary health care landscape.
    3. Guidance document: Menu of options for operationalization of polyclinic under XV-FC 925 KB PDF

      This document is a comprehensive guideline devised for the establishment and operationalization of polyclinics under XV-FC, and presents a diverse ‘menu of options’ based on local contexts.

      The options include an in–house model, a fixed–day specialist model by engaging specialists from secondary and tertiary government facilities, a nonprofit–operated polyclinic, a polyclinic model based on public–private partnership, and a telemedicine–enabled polyclinic model.

      This guideline delineates each option's key features, operational mechanisms, and monitoring protocols. The document's purpose is to facilitate stakeholders' understanding of the establishment and functioning of polyclinics, offering insights into the scalability and replication of successful models over time.
    4. Guidance document: Cafeteria approach for operationalizing urban HWCs 1.2 MB PDF

      This document offers various models for establishing Urban Health and Wellness Centers (UHWCs), allowing State Governments to select the most suitable options for their specific contexts.

      Models include prefabricated HWCs, mobile UHWCs, public–private partnerships, and digital UHWCs. These can be combined to address challenges such as land unavailability, urban expansion, limited coordination with local bodies, and human resource shortages. T

      The guidance aims to optimize UHWC operationalization despite these hurdles.
    5. Process document: Operationalizing UHWCs in Gwalior 3.4 MB PDF

      This document showcases Samagra’s approach to addressing the challenges hindering the establishment of UHWCs in Gwalior, Madhya Pradesh. The approach employs a systematic and coordinated strategy to tackle land–related obstacles, both for establishing new UHWCs and upgrading existing ones.

      It outlines PATH’s efforts in facilitating multi–stakeholder meetings and joint visits involving the health department, revenue department, and ULBs to identify suitable government-owned land for UHWCs.
    6. Guidance document: Model UHWCs 4.3 MB PDF

      This document details the model UHWC, designed to serve as a demonstrative hub for showcasing best practices and optimizing standard operating procedures across various process areas in UHWCs in Odisha.

      PATH is actively assisting in implementing this model in one UHWC each in Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, Odisha. The document outlines the key components envisioned under the model, which include standardizing record–keeping practices, ensuring appropriate infection prevention and control and biomedical waste practices, establishing a grievance redressal system linked with regular patient satisfaction surveys, enabling digital platforms for monitoring and analysis (such as E-Sanjivani, AB HWC, FPLMIS, and E-niramaya portal), demonstrating forward and backward referral linkages, and engaging community platforms across sectors to enhance accountability, ownership, and preventive care initiatives.
    7. Guidance document: Model UHND 3.1 MB PDF

      Through the Model Urban Health and Nutrition Day (UHND), PATH is expanding the outreach of 12 package services, with a specific emphasis on addressing non-communicable diseases, eye, ear, nose, and throat conditions, as well as oral health, alongside tuberculosis screening in 10 wards of Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, Odisha.

      This document outlines the operational framework for conducting the UHND, detailing the roles and responsibilities of the relevant health care staff. The aim is to enhance comprehensive primary health care services through urban outreach initiatives.

  2. English

    1. Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) material for urban health facilities

      To boost awareness and promote greater use of services at urban health care facilities, a collection of IEC materials has been developed under urban health projects. These materials are designed in both English and Hindi to ensure accessibility to local audiences.

      The complete package includes posters on expanded range of services, routine immunization, healthy habits and nutrition, rabies awareness, WASH, heat stroke, anemia, SUMAN, wellness calendar, facility profile, EDL, citizen charter and signages.