Lok Sabha Question No. 3293 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-07-12
Subject: Healthcare Services in Rural Areas
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Ajay Bhatt

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3293 TO BE ANSWERED ON 12 TH JULY, 2019

## HEALTHCARE SERVICES IN RURAL AREAS

## 3293. SHRI AJAY BHATT:

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

- (a) whether the Government has taken any steps to provide adequate healthcare services in the Government hospitals of the rural areas; and
- (b) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRI ASHWINI KUMAR CHOUBEY)

(a) & (b) 'Public Health & Hospital' being a State subject, the primary responsibility to provide adequate healthcare services in public health facilities acro ss the country including rural areas lies with the State Governments.

To  address  the  healthcare  challenges,  particularly  in  rural  areas,  the  National Health  Mission  (NRHM)  was  launched  in  2005  to  supplement  the  efforts  of  the  State/UT governments t o provide accessible, affordable and quality healthcare to all those who ac public health facilities. Currently, NRHM is a sub - mission of National Health Mission (NHM).

This support under NHM includes provision of a host of free services related to ma ternal health,  child  health,  adolescent  health,  family  planning,  universal  immunisation  progr and for major diseases such as Tuberculosis, HIV/ AIDS, vector borne diseases like Mala Dengue and Kala Azar, Leprosy etc.

Other major initiatives incl ude Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) (under which free drugs, free diagnostics, free blood and diet, free transport from home to institution facilities  in  case  of  a  referral  and  drop  back  home  is  provided),  Rashtriya  Bal  Sw Karyakram (RBSK) (which provides newborn and child health screening and early interventions services free of cost for birth defects, diseases, deficiencies and deve delays to improve the quality of survival), implementation of Free Drugs and Free Diagno s Service Initiatives, PM National Dialysis Programme and implementation of National Quali Assurance Framework.

Mobile Medical Units (MMUs) & Telemedicine are also being implemented with NHM support to improve healthcare access particularly in rural ar eas.

As part of Ayushman Bharat, the Government is supporting the States for strengtheni Sub  Centres  and  Primary  Health  Centres  as  Health  and  Wellness  Centres  (AB -HWCs)  for provision of comprehensive primary health care that includes preventive healthca re and health promotionat the community level with continuum of care approach.

Further, Ayushman Bharat, Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB - PMJAY) provides health  coverage  up  to  Rs.  5.00  lakh  per  family  per  year  to  around  10.74  crore  poor vulnerab le families as per Socio Economic Caste Census (SECC).

The  States  are  also  encouraged  to  adopt  flexible  norms  for  engaging  specialists public health facilities. These include 'contracting in' and 'contracting out' of specialist services and engaging s pecialists outside the government system for service delivery at public faci under NHM.

States have also been allowed to offer negotiable salaries to attract Specialists i flexibility in strategies such as 'You quote, we pay".

Financial  support  is  also  provided  to  States  for  providing  hard  area  allow performance - based  incentives,  providing  accommodation  and  transport  facilities  in  rural remote areas, sponsoring training programmes, etc to engaged human resources to addr ess the issue of shortage of doctors and specialists in the public health facilities.