Lok Sabha Question No. 3013 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-12-06
Subject: Hospital Overcrowding
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Manickam Tagore B, N.K. Premachandran

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3013 TO BE ANSWERED ON 6 TH DECEMBER, 2019

## HOSPITAL OVERCROWDIN G

## 3013. SHRI MANICKAM TAGORE B.: SHRI N.K. PREMACHANDRAN:

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

- (a)  whether  it  has  come  to  the  notice  of  the  Government  that  Government  hospitals  suc AIIMS, Medical Colleges and General Hospitals are overcrowded and the patients who need to undergo surgery or other special treatment have to wait for more than a year;
- (b) if so, the details thereof and the action taken thereon to improve the situation;
- (c)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  implement  projects  for  impr oving  the  infrastructure facility and appoint sufficient number of doctors and staff in Government hospitals, i details thereof;
- (d) whether the Government proposes to establish Medical Colleges in all the district con the  huge  number  of  patients  dependant  on  the  Government  hospitals,  if  so,  the  action thereon; and
- (e)  whether  the  Government  proposes  to  implement  pro grammes  under  NHM  for  crowd management in hospitals, if so, the details thereof?

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

(a) to (c) : Due to increasing patient load, there is a waiting period in many cases espe those  which  require  surgery  or  complex  investigative  modulation.  However,  the  patient critical  condition  are  given  priority  and  such  cases  are  not  delayed  beyond  the  d ration minimally required for surgery.  In the casualty/emergency lifesaving situations, all e made to admit the seriously ill patient in the hospital as far as practically possible non- availability  of  bed  in  the  emergency,  the  patien ts  are  first  stabilized  etc  and  after stabilization are sent to other Government hospitals for further management.  For improv infrastructure facility to improve the mismatch between the need and supply of services, steps  have  been  under  tak en  such  as  setting  up  of  National  Cancer  Institute  at  Jhajj construction of Surgical and Burns and Plastic Block at AIIMS, New Delhi, redevelopment

Safdarjung hospital etc.  Creation of additional posts of doctors and staff & filling u post s is a dynamic process which is being done as per requirement of hospitals, availabi resources by following due procedure.

(d) : Under phase I  of  the Centrally Sponsored Scheme titled 'Establishment of new medical colleges attached with existing district/referral hospitals' launched in January, 2014, 58 district in  20  States/UT  have  been  identified  and  approved.    42  medical  colleges  have  beco functional.  Further,  under  Phase -II  of  the  said  Scheme  launched  in  February,  2018,  24  new medical  colle ges  in  8  States  have  been  identified.  The  State  Government  have  identified locations  on  Challenge  mode.    Out  of  24  medical  colleges,  22  have  been  approved  till Under Phase - III  of  the  Scheme,  the  Cabinet  on  28.08.2019  has  approved  establishment  of 75 new medical colleges out of which 49 medical colleges have been approved till date.

(e) : Public  Health  and  hospitals  being  a  State  subject,  the  primary  responsibili management of public hospitals including crowd management lies with State/UT Governments. However,  various  initiatives  such  as  National  Mobile  Medical  Unit  Service,  Pradhan  Ma National Dialysis Programme to support dialysis facility in all district hospitals have up  for  addressing  the  overcrowding  in  public  health  f acilities.  Online  Registration  System (ORS), Multiple Computerized Registration Counters, Digital Display Board for qu -management, security arrangements for proper crowd management have been implemented in various hospitals.

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