Maharashtra has recorded 5,535 new cases of COVID-19, taking its total caseload to 17,63,055. According to the state’s public health department, fatalities increased by 154 to take the death toll to 46,356. With 5,860 recoveries, the state’s total recoveries now stand at 16,35,971.
 
Meanwhile, the state government is slated to set up 3,000 more health and wellness centres across the state by December.
 
The Public health department of Maharashtra will soon appoint new Bachelors of Ayurveda, Medicine, and Surgery doctors to the new health and wellness centres.
 

According to Dr Vijay Kandewad, joint director, Directorate of Health Services,  with the expansion, the state will have more than 9,000 Health and Wellness Centres, an increase from the current 6,300 functional ones.
 
He informed that each centre will have a doctor, auxiliary nurse-midwifery and multi-purpose health worker, who will provide 12 essential services like ENT, maternal and child care, screening of non-communicable diseases, yoga and basic health check-up. He also stated that the process of expansion was delayed due to the pandemic.

 
Now that medical students have graduated, the government will be making appointments of Unani and Ayurvedic doctors. This initiative was launched in 2018 by the Union Health Ministry to provide primary healthcare to rural and tribal populations.