23rd July 2024 (9 Topics)
Primary healthcare Funding
Context
The Economic survey has urged fora significant increase in social security expenditureon health, which was earlier estimated to grow from 5.7 per cent in FY15 to 9.3 per cent in FY20.
Primary Health Care(PHC) in India:
- Primary health care is the basic level of health care which includes programs focused on the elevation of health, the initial diagnosis of disease or ill health, and deterrence of illness.
- It involves the key healthcare structure which delivers the first level of interaction between the healthcare providers and the population. E.g., Sub Centres (SCs) and Primary Health Centres (PHCs).
Need for PHC:
According to the Rural Health Statistics report for 2021-22, there is an acute shortage of specialist doctors in rural areas of India, particularly at Community Health Centers (CHCs).
- Shortage of Specialists: The report reveals that nearly 80% of the required specialist doctors are unavailable at CHCs.
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- Increase in Specialist Doctors: While the number of specialist doctors at CHCs has increased by 25% over the years, from 3,550 in 2005 to 4,485 in 2022, this growth has not been sufficient to meet the rising demand for specialists in rural areas.
- Lack of Female Health Workers: In addition to the shortage of specialist doctors, there is also a dearth of female health workers and auxiliary nursing midwives in primary health centers (PHCs) and sub-centers, with up to 14.4% of these positions remaining vacant.
Initiatives related to Primary Health Care Facilities:
- Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs):HWC are created under Ayushman Bharat Programme by converting the existing primary health centres and subcentres. They provide comprehensive primary health care (CPHC) including a child and maternal health services, non-communicable diseases, and also diagnostic services, and free essential drugs.
- Primary Health Centre (PHC): Under the National Health Mission (NHM), Primary Health Centre (PHC) are established to cover a population of 30,000 in rural areas and 20,000 in hilly, tribal and desert areas. PHCs are established to cover defined population.
- Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK): Thescheme is to benefit pregnant women and infant who access Government health facilities for their delivery and post-delivery care.
Saksham Anganwadi and Poshan 2.0: It seeks to address the challenging situation of malnutrition among children up to the age of 6 years, adolescent girls (14-18 years) and pregnant and lactating women. The scheme is open to all eligible beneficiaries and the only pre-condition is that the beneficiary must be registered at the nearest Anganwadi centre with Aadhaar identification.
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