Lok Sabha Question No. 314 (STARRED), answered on 2018-03-16
Subject: Healthcare Facilities in Rural Areas
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: SHARAD BANSODE, SUKHBIR SINGH JAUNPURIA

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 314 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 16 TH MARCH, 2018 HEALTHCARE FACILITIE S IN RURAL AREAS

## *314. ADV. SHARADKUMAR MARUTI BANSODE:

## SHRI SUKHBIR SINGH JAUNAPURIA:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether around 600 million people in the country, mostly in the rural have little or no access to healthcare facilities and if so, the details thereof;
- (b) whether the Government is considering any mechanism/scheme/plan to tra more  health  professionals  and  depute  them  in  rural  areas  and  if  so,  the thereof;
- (c) whether various Government hospitals in rural areas are facin g the problem of infrastructure to accommodate critical care patients; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## ( SHRI JAGAT PRAKASH NADDA )

- (a)to ( d) : A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.

## STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA STARRED QUESTION NO. 314* FOR 16 TH MARCH, 2018

- (a) The healthcare needs of the rural population are a priority for the c As per Census 2011, the rural population of India is 833.7 million.

As per Rural Health Statistics (RHS) 2016 - 17  and 2015 - 16 , both Average rural area (Sq. Km) covered by sub centre (SC), Primary Health Centre(PHC) Community  Health  Centre(CHC)  and  average  radial  distance  (Km)  covered  by them had decreased over the year. Similarly, Average number of villages covered by CHC had also decreased and that covered by PHC and SC remained constant thereby having an increasing trend for access and coverage by SC, PHC and CHC

Moreover, as per RHS (2016 - 17), increase in number of health facilities is shown in the table given below:

| Health Facility          |   RHS 2005 |   RHS 2016 - 17 |
|--------------------------|------------|-----------------|
| Sub Centres              |     146026 |          156231 |
| Primary Health Centres   |      23236 |           25650 |
| Community Health Centres |       3346 |            5624 |

Additionally, 1390 Mobile Medical units are also functional in the country to serve the people living in the remote areas.

- (b) The Government has taken various steps to train more health professionals depute them in rural areas, these efforts include -
- (i) 50% of the seats in Post Graduate Diploma Courses are eserved for Medical Officers in the Government service, who have served for at least three ye remote and difficult areas. After acquiring the PG Diploma, the Medical Off has to serve for two m re years in remote and/or difficult areas.

(ii) Incentive at the rate of 10% the marks obtained for each year in serv remote or difficult areas as upto the maximum of 30% of the marks obtained i entrance test for admissions in Post Gra duate Medical Courses.

(iii) Support is provided to States/UTs for hard area allowance to specialist doc for serving in rural and remote areas and for their residential quarters so find it attractive to serve in public health facilities in s uch areas.

( iv ) I nitiatives for up - skilling of MBBS doctors to provide Life Saving Anaesthetic Skills (LSAS) and Emergency Obstetric Care (EmOC) have been put in place.

(v)The State s are encouraged to adopt flexible norms for engaging specialist public health facilities. These include various mechanisms for 'contacting in' and 'contracting out' of specialist services, methods of engaging specialists outside the government system f or service delivery at public facilities and the mechanis include requests for these in the state Program Implementation Plans (PIP) the National Health Mission .

(vi)The  ratio  of  teachers  to  students  has  been  revised  from  1:1  to  1:2 MD/M S  disciplines  and  1:1  to  1:3  in  subjects  of  Anesthesiology,  For Medicine, Radiotherapy, Medical Oncology, Surgical Oncology and Psychiatry all  medical  colleges  across  the  country.  Further,  teacher:  student  ratio funded Government Medical Colleges for Professor has been increased from 1:2 to 1:3  in  all  clinical  subjects  and  for  Associate  Professor  from  1:1  to  1: Associate  Professor  is  a  unit  head.  This  would  result  in  increase  in  num of specialists in the country.

(vii ) Enhancem ent of maximum intake capacity at MBBS level from 150 to 250.

(vii i )  relaxation  in  the  norms  of  setting  up  of  Medical  College  in  term requirement for land, faculty, staff, bed/bed strength and other infrastructu

(ix ) Strengthening/upgradation of St ate Government Medical Colleges for starting new PG courses/Increase of PG seats.

( x) Establishment of New Medical Colleges by upgrading district/referral hos preferably in underserved districts of the country.

(xi ) Strengthening/ upgradation of exis ting State Government/Central Government Medical Colleges to increase MBBS seats.

(c)  &  (d ) Public Health  and  Hospitals  being  a  State  subject,  the  primar responsibility of  providing healthcare  services including  strengthening  of  health facilities lies withthe State/UT Governments .However, under NHM, technical and financial  support  is  provided  to  State/UTs  for  strengthening  their  overal h system  for  provision  of  accessible,  affordable  and  quality  health  care  to citizens based on the propo sal s submitted by State/UTs in their NHM - Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs), within their overall resource envelope. This s inter alia includes support towards strengthening of infrastructure to accommodate critical care patients.