Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel on Wednesday, 1 July inaugurated the statewide 'Namo Swachhata Abhiyan and Amrutpaan Abhiyan' at the Gandhinagar Civil Hospital campus, kicking off a week-long cleanliness and health campaign across all 11,935 government health institutions in the state. The drive, running from 1 July to 7 July, aims to overhaul hospital hygiene, tighten infection control, and strengthen maternal and child health outcomes across Gujarat.

What the Drive Covers

Across the state's hospitals and health facilities, the campaign will focus on removing old furniture, outdated medical equipment, and unnecessary records that have accumulated over the years. Repair work will be undertaken on damaged infrastructure — including broken tiles, doors, windows, electrical fittings, fans, and leaking taps — on what Health Minister Praful Pansheriya described as a 'war footing'. Scrap ambulances, broken chairs, and unusable computers that have sat idle for years will also be cleared, with reclaimed space redirected to improve patient facilities.

What the Chief Minister Said

Addressing the inaugural gathering, Patel urged that cleanliness become 'a shared resolve and a natural habit of every citizen rather than remain an activity confined to a single week.' He stressed the inseparable link between sanitation and public health, invoking the maxims 'Health is the first happiness' and 'Prevention is better than cure' as guiding principles for everyday life.

'Cleanliness and health are closely connected. Every citizen should avoid littering and take collective responsibility for keeping public places clean,' Patel said. He also referenced central government programmes — including the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, Har Ghar Jal, Ujjwala Yojana, and Ayushman Bharat — as having contributed materially to improvements in public health and sanitation across the country.

Amrutpaan Abhiyan: Focus on Maternal and Child Health

Alongside the cleanliness drive, Patel formally launched the Amrutpaan Abhiyan, describing it as a critical initiative for maternal and child nutrition. He said greater public awareness was essential to ensure children received proper nutrition and protection from birth, stating that 'a healthy child is the foundation of a healthy society and a developed nation.' During the event, Patel and Pansheriya jointly released the Amrutpaan Abhiyan Guidelines and an accompanying Flip Chart prepared for the initiative.

Health Infrastructure and Ayushman Card

The Chief Minister highlighted the expansion of healthcare infrastructure in rural Gujarat and pointed to the Ayushman Card as a significant support mechanism for economically weaker families. He underscored the need to prioritise infection control to reduce hospital-acquired infections, calling on both healthcare workers and citizens to collaborate in building a cleaner, healthier Gujarat. The event coincided with National Doctors' Day, on which Patel extended greetings to medical professionals across the state and acknowledged their contributions to public healthcare.

What Happens Next

Health Minister Pansheriya said the Namo Swachhata Abhiyan was designed not as a one-off exercise but as the starting point for a permanent operational routine within hospitals. The seven-day campaign is expected to conclude on 7 July, after which the Health Department intends to integrate its practices into regular hospital management. Whether the initiative translates into sustained institutional change — rather than a symbolic week of activity — will be the measure of its long-term impact.