Slum-dwellers in cities will now be able to avail health facilities Urban poor, especially those living in slums, will now have access to primary healthcare services in cities and towns with the Cabinet recently approving the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) to function as a sub-mission under the overarching National Health Mission which also caters to rural populations. To be implemented in 779 cities and towns with over 50,000 population, the NUHM aims to cover 7.75 crore people. Meant for the urban poor, it will primarily target the urban slum population of 68 million (6 crore) as revealed by the 2011 Census. The mission comes at a time when poverty in India is becoming urbanised. By 2030, urbanisation rate will touch 50 per cent. Urban poverty at present is around 25 per cent and although nationally rural poverty is higher, the gap is closing. As per the 2011 Census, 1.37 crore households in urban areas (around 17 pc) were slum households and in 19 cities with a population above one million, 25 per cent households were slum households. The Registrar General of India defines a slum household as one unfit for human habitation due to dilapidated state and cramped surroundings. People residing in these places will now be linked to health facilities with the NUHM vowing to provide one urban primary health centre (PHC) for every 50,000 to 60,000 population; one Urban Community Health Centre against every five to six PHCs in big cities; one Auxiliary Nursing Midwife (ANM) for every 10,000 population and one Accredited Social Health Activist ASHA (community link worker) for every 200 to 500 households. Importantly, 71 pc of the slum population lives in six states of Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh. These are highly vulnerable on the health front considering the majority don’t have a clean source of drinking water or sanitation facility. Census data shows 74 per cent slum households use taps as the primary source of drinking water followed by hand pumps used by 20.3 per cent. Over 19 pc households have no toilet facility and 15.1 per cent use public toilets. Besides, health indicators for urban poor are much worse than their urban counterparts. National Family Health Survey data shows that under-five mortality among the urban poor is 72.7 deaths per 1,000 live births as against the urban average of 51.9 deaths. The NUHM seeks to cover these gaps with the stated objectives of reducing infant and maternal mortality rates for the urban poor and giving them universal access to reproductive health. Five-year cost of the mission will be Rs 22,507 crore with the Centre’s share pegged at Rs 16,955 crore and the centre-state funding pattern decided at 75:25 except for the North Eastern states, and special category states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand for whom the funding pattern will be 90:10. The NUHM has been awaited for over a year now. It was earlier proposed as a separate Mission under the lines of NRHM. The Planning Commission insisted that the rural and urban health missions be managed under an overarching National Health Mission. The project The mission seeks to cover gaps between urban rich and poor with the stated objectives of reducing infant and maternal mortality rates for the urban poor and giving them universal access to reproductive health To be implemented in 779 cities and towns with over 50,000 population, the National Urban Health Mission aims to cover 7.75 crore people Meant for the urban poor, it will primarily target the urban slum population of 6 crore as revealed by the 2011 Census