Introduction
In response to the question posed by INC Lok Sabha MP from Rajasthan, Ummeda Ram Beniwal, on the lack of healthcare facilities and resources, affecting patients in India, the Central Government has cited the Rural Health Statistics 2022, which suggests that massive health infrastructure gaps need to be covered in rural areas. The Minister of State for Health and Family Affairs, Anupriya Patel referred to the Rural Health Statistics 2022 data in her reply to the query put forth by Beniwal on August 9 concerning the lack of health infrastructure in the country. The data given reveals that as of July 1, 2022, rural areas face a shortfall of 48060 Sub-Centres as against the requirement of 1,93,310 such centres, with the present number of Sub-Centres being at 1,57,935.
Similarly, rural India has a shortage of 9,742 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) against its required strength of 31,640 PHCs, with 24,935 PHCs presently in use. The number of Community Health Centres (CHCs) currently in use stands at 5480 against the required strength of 7894 such centres, with a shortfall of 2852 CHCs in total.
The parliamentary answer by the MoS Anupriya Patel explained that “All India Shortfall is derived by adding State-wise figures of shortfall ignoring the existing surplus in some of the states.” However, state-wise data regarding the shortage was not included in the response. Importantly, the figures provided here does not include shortage of such centres in urban areas, thus revealing the magnitude of the issue.
Patel further informed the Lok Sabha about the Union Government’s efforts at improving health infrastructure and human resource shortage, noting that the Health Ministry provides “technical and financial support including support for recruitment of health human resource (Specialists Doctors and other health workers), to the States/UTs to strengthen the public healthcare system, based on the proposals received in the form of Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) under National Health Mission.”
She also said that under the Fifteenth Finance Commission (FC-XV) and PM-Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) various initiatives have been undertaken, with “a total of 12,606 units of building-less sub-health centre, 881 units of building-less Primary Health Centre and 125 units of building-less Community Health Centre” being provisioned for the FY 2021-22 to 2023-24.
The response further stated that “Under PM-ABHIM, provisions have been made for construction/strengthening of 730 Integrated Public Health Labs (IPHLs), 3382 Block Public Health Units (BPHU), 602 Critical Care Blocks (CCBs) and 7,808 units of building-less sub-health centre-Ayushman Arogya Mandir during the scheme period FY 2021-22 to 2025-26.”
Notably, some states, including Mizoram, Nagaland, and Meghalaya have pushed back over renaming of Ayushman centres as ‘mandirs’ questioning the imposition of dominant religious nomenclature.
The parliamentary response on the subject dated August 9 can be found here:
Related:
Denials of Public Health in Odisha | SabrangIndia
India behind on poverty, health and gender goals: Independent study | SabrangIndia