Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:
(a) whether the rural population do not have sufficient medical facilities in most of the rural areas in the country including Bihar;
(b) the extent to which National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has achieved its objectives;
(c) whether the Government proposes to set up super specialty healthcare centres in rural areas; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND
FAMILY WELFARE
(SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)
(a): As per Rural Health Statistics-2019, as on 31.03.2019, a total of 1,57,411 Sub-centres, 24,855 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and 5,335 Community Health Centres (CHCs) have been functional in the rural areas of the country. Out of this, 9,949 Sub-centres, 1,899 PHCs and 150 CHCs have been functional in Bihar.
(b): The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched to provide accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to the rural population, especially the vulnerable groups. Key features of the Mission include making the public health delivery system fully functional and accountable to the community, human resources management, community involvement, decentralization, rigorous monitoring & evaluation against standards, convergence of health and related programmes from village level upwards, innovations and flexible financing and also interventions for improving the health indicators. Performance of the National Health Mission on major indicators is given in Annexure.
(c) & (d): To provide major thrust for creation of advanced tertiary healthcare infrastructure with super specialty health care facilities, Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) is implemented for expanding/ augmenting tertiary healthcare capacity in the underserved areas of the country. 25 new All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) and 73 Government Medical Colleges (GMCs) with Super Specialty Hospitals/ Trauma Centres have been built under the scheme and equipped with modern healthcare facilities including Intensive Care Units (ICUs) throughout the country including in rural areas. States generally considered “backward” with respect to the broad socio-economic indicators are given priority while finalising projects. Further, to augment tertiary healthcare facilities including ICUs across the country, Central Government is also establishing 157 new Medical Colleges by up-gradation of District Hospitals.