Health Minister to Launch Samagra Shishu Bal Swasthya Karyakram (SSBSK) at 16th CCHFW Conference

📌 Summary:

• Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda to launch the Samagra Shishu Bal Swasthya Karyakram (SSBSK) at the 16th Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW) Conference, Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi
• SSBSK merges two flagship community programmes — Home-Based Newborn Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Care for Young Child (HBYC) — into one unified framework, ensuring continuum of care from birth to 36 months
• Vision: "पहले तीन साल सम्पूर्ण देखभाल" — recognising the first three years as critical for survival, nutrition and early brain development
• Introduces risk-stratified care: 'At-risk' newborns get up to 9 home visits in the first 42 days; 'At-risk' children up to 8 visits till 36 months
• Joint home visits by ASHAs, ANMs, Community Health Officers (CHOs) and Anganwadi Workers (AWWs); Well-Baby Sessions at every VHSND; monthly Shishu Shivir at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs
• Adds post-partum maternal mental health screening, nurturing care for Early Childhood Development (ECD), and digital child-wise tracking via Decision-Support Systems

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS2 (Governance — health and welfare schemes, social justice, women & child welfare); convergence of frontline workers and continuum-of-care model.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• SSBSK integrates HBNC + HBYC; covers birth to 36 months
• Frontline workers: ASHA, ANM, CHO, AWW
• Launched at the 16th CCHFW; Shishu Shivir held at Ayushman Arogya Mandirs
• VHSND = Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day

🔑 Key Term: Continuum of care — uninterrupted, linked health services across life stages (newborn through early childhood), bridging home and community-based care.