“You have come, and when I see you, I feel better. I was feeling tired and wanted to get up and you helped me.” These are the words of an older woman with chronic illness, living in the village of Lalmati, Bongaigaon district, Assam. She had just received a visit at her home from a Community Health Officer, based in the village health sub centre.
In this quiet rural stretch, the Lalmati sub centre Ayushman Arogya Mandir (SC - AAM) stands as more than a health facility as it has become a “centre of hope” for the community. For over 10 000 people across 10 villages in the catchment area, it symbolises a new promise: that health care can be close, compassionate, and comprehensive.
For years, the Lalmati sub centre provided basic services with limited community engagement, and preventive care lagged. It was brought to life under India’s national Ayushman Bharat programme, which aims to bring primary health care (PHC) to everyone across India, striving to achieve health for all.
Transformation through primary health care
Through a combination of work by a dedicated Comprehensive Primary Health Care (PHC) team on the ground, technical support and guidance from WHO through the UHC Partnership, and an increasingly engaged population, the Lalmati SC - AAM transformed the way it provided services.
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Comprehensive primary health care team at the Lalmati sub centre Ayushman Arogya Mandir © WHO India
In March 2024, Muktadir Hussain, a young and energetic Community Health Officer, joined the centre. Rather than starting with instructions, he began with listening and meeting with villagers and health workers to understand the local health challenges and way forward.
His message to the team was simple yet powerful: “Let’s take the community along in everything we do.”
This sense of togetherness ignited new energy among the Comprehensive Primary Health Care team comprising multipurpose workers, accredited social health activists, and their supervisor.
The Lalmati SC - AAM is now recognized across Bongaigaon district as a model of community-led health improvement, where service providers and seekers share mutual trust and respect.
Since the rollout of the Comprehensive Primary Health Care services, the population in the catchment area of the Lalmati SC - AMM has witnessed remarkable improvements:
- Zero maternal and child mortality from preventable causes since 2024
- Reduction in high-risk pregnancies from 28 (2023-24) to 12 (2025-26) and early marriages
- Lower cases of communicable diseases and anaemia
- Better control of noncommunicable diseases through regular screening, referral and follow-up
- A community-driven health movement, with growing ownership and participation.
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Patient support group meeting with Muktadir Hussain, Community Health Officer © WHO India
WHO, through the UHC Partnership and the WHO Health Systems Officer in Assam, provided technical mentoring to the Community Health Officer and other team members. The WHO team helped build the capacity of Lalmati staff to improve quality of care, to use data effectively, and importantly to reach out and engage with the community.
“WHO’s mentorship gave us the confidence and clarity we needed. It helped us believe that we could bring change, one household at a time,” said Muktadir Hussain, Community Health Officer of SC-AAM.
A model for illness to wellness
From a modest and inadequately used sub centre to a vibrant community centre of hope, Lalmati’s journey exemplifies the true spirit of the Ayushman Bharat - Comprehensive Primary Health Care initiative. It proves that with teamwork, community participation, and compassionate leadership, even the smallest health centre can become a beacon of wellness.
“The success of Lalmati Sub Centre-AAM of Assam demonstrates the strong political commitment of Government of Assam towards strengthening primary health care service delivery to realize the goals of UHC – to make primary healthcare service delivery affordable, accessible and with quality for the people residing at the last mile”, says Ms. Payden, WHO Representative to India a.i.
The UHC Partnership operates in over 125 countries, representing over 3 billion people. It is supported and funded by Belgium, Canada, the European Union, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, Japan, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, and WHO.
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