Question : SURVEY ON HEALTH FACILITIES FOR RURAL PEOPLE

 

(a) whether the Government has carried out any survey on the prevailing health facilities and availability of infrastructure for the rural people of the country;  

(b) if so, the details of the parameters fixed for such survey and the outcome thereof; and  

(c) the initiatives taken by the Union Government to improve the primary health care system and medical facilities for the people living in the rural areas of the country?    

MINISTER OF THE STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (DR. ANBUMANI RAMADOSS)  

(a)to(c): A statement is laid on the Table of the House.

  STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 83 FOR 21ST NOVEMBER, 2007

(a)&(b): Yes, Sir. The Government of India undertakes periodic … nationwide surveys for assessing the impact of the health care interventions and programmes. In addition, a Facility Survey in the country has been conducted by the Government in two phases (1998 -99 and 2003-2004), which assessed the existing situation of the health care facilities available in the government health care establishments at different levels in India in terms of infrastructure, staff, supply and equipment in respect of 591 districts .  

The Survey covered various facility parameters at the District Hospital, FRUs, Community Health Centres, Primary Health Centres and Sub-centres e.g:

  # Status of the infrastructure ( building, staff quarters, supply of water and electricity, toilet and phone facilities, vehicle availability etc.)
# Availability of facilities (Operation Theatre, Labour Room, OPD, basic Laboratory, beds etc.)
# Staff position (Medical Officers, Health Supervisors and Assistants, Multipurpose workers, Pharmacists, Lab. Technician, Computer clerks etc.)
# In-service training and practice status (type of training received by Medical Officers and Paramedical staff)
# Availability and functioning status of equipments (refrigerator, ILR, deep freezer, vaccine carriers, X-ray machine, examination table, weighing machine, BP instrument, stethoscope, autoclave, oxygen cylinders, labour room table, OT table etc.)
# Availability of kits equipment & drugs (by kit type, newborn care equipments)
# Stock of contraceptives, vaccines and drugs etc .
  The key results of the Facility Survey conducted in 1999 and 2003 are annexed at Annexures I to III.  

(c) The Government has initiated comprehensive health sector reforms to improve Primary Health care system and provide medical facilities to citizens in rural areas. The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) is the main vehicle for these reforms. NRHM is a flag ship programme of the Government. It is being operationalized throughout the country, with special focus on 18 states which includes 8 Empowered Action Group States (Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Uttaranchal, Orissa and Rajasthan), 8 North-East States, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu & Kashmir. The main aim of NRHM is to provide accessible, affordable, accountable, effective and reliable primary health care facilities, especially, to the poor and vulnerable sections of the population. NRHM seeks to strengthen the Public Health delivery system at all levels.

  The Sub-centre and PHCs are proposed to be revitalized through better human resource management, clear quality standards, better community support and an untied fund to enable local planning and action. The Indian Public Health Standards define structural, personnel, equipment and management standards and have been finalised for District Hospitals, CHCs, PHCs and SCs.

  All the facilities are also being provided untied funds to enable the local management committee to carry out locally relevant initiatives for better service delivery. At the level of the Sub Centre, untied funds are to be managed in the joint account of ANM and the Gram Pradhan. The Hospital Management Committees (Rogi Kalyan Samitis) at various levels are being set up as registered societies with Panchayati Raj Institutions representation. These societies are also being given funding support under the NRHM to allow local action.