A government committee advised the Odisha government to launch a “competition-based series on television and digital platforms drawing on widely recognised formats such as Kaun Banega Crorepati” to recognise panchayats and municipalities that perform best or show the fastest improvement in a new, rigorous health metric called the Population Health and Wellness Score (PHWS).The proposal said that in 2024, 74% of specialist posts in the state’s 375 Community Health Centres were vacant. (Representative Photo/iStock)HT has reviewed the suggestions made by the Committee on Administrative & Governance Reforms headed by former chief secretary Jugal Kishore Mohapatra.The PHWS will be a composite of five components, including individual wellness (e.g., blood pressure control), environmental determinants (e.g., air and water quality), service readiness, system responsiveness, and population outcomes like maternal and child mortality. It will be generated twice a year at the panchayat and ward levels.The committee recommended that the televised series will invite representatives from top-performing panchayats and assembly constituencies to present their success stories before an expert panel and the public. To ensure “grassroots voice and technical rigour,” the competition will feature citizen engagement through SMS voting combined with expert assessments, culminating in state-level recognition by the chief minister.Also Read:Odisha suspends 4 SCERT officials after 1,700 mistakes in school textbooks: GovtThe proposal said that in 2024, 74% of specialist posts in the state’s 375 Community Health Centres were vacant. While the state has made strides in infant mortality rates, the maternal mortality ratio rose from 119 in 2018-20 to 124 in 2022-24, as per the Special Bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India 2022-24.The committee proposed a state-backed virtual care “tele-consultation” network building on existing platforms such as eSanjeevani and private operators to connect patients in remote areas to doctors without requiring travel, with a parallel push to extend tele-consultation particularly for cancer care across the state.The grid will prioritise cancer care as its first specialised vertical at the state level. It also calls for an “omni-channel” appointment system, allowing patients to book a fixed date, time and place for treatment through a phone helpline, website, kiosk or in-person visit, instead of the current practice of patients spending entire days waiting to see a doctor.A senior official in the state health and family welfare department said the suggestions of the committee are being discussed at the highest level, and a decision would be taken soon.Also Read:Odisha minister’s nephew booked after student, 21, found dead in her hostel roomCiting a 2025 study by health economist Nachiket Mor, the proposal said that state contains a comparatively better-resourced “System A” along the coastal and in the western districts, further along in its shift toward managing chronic, lifestyle-linked diseases. While a “System B” is present in the northern, central and southern districts that remains burdened by infectious disease and maternal and child health issues.To ensure these systems actually work, the committee suggested establishing a Public Health Command Centre that will track service promises such as a scheduled prenatal checkup or a TB drug refill in real-time.If a promise is missed, the system will automatically identify the bottlenecks such as whether it’s a frontline worker’s absence or a systemic issue like a drug stock-out and alerts the appropriate manager via WhatsApp.The committee suggested that a pilot of the ambitious reforms as a “proof of concept” can begin in Keonjhar district, chief minister Mohan Majhi’s home district, leveraging the ongoing Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission (ABDM) pilot.