Lok Sabha Question No. 2618 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2020-03-06
Subject: Healthcare Facilities in Rural Areas
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: A. Chellakumar, Kapil Moreshwar Patil, Nishikant  Dubey

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

LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 2618 TO BE ANSWERED ON 06 TH MARCH, 2020

## HEALTHCARE FACILITIE S IN RURAL AREAS

## 2618. DR. A. CHALLAKUMAR: SHRI KAPIL MORESHWAR PATIL: DR. NISHIKANT DUBEY:

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

- (a)  whether  the  Government  has  conducted  any  survey  in  the  recent  past  to  ascertain requirement of healthcare facilities in rural areas and remote areas of the country;
- (b) if so, the details and the findings thereof along with the follow up action taken/bei the Government thereon;
- (c) the number of villages which do not have health care facilities in the country, State/U - wise; and
- (d) the steps taken/being taken by the Government to improve the required infrastructu other healthcare facilities especially in the rural and remot e areas of the country?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## (DR. HARSH VARDHAN)

- (a) & (b): Rural Health Statistics which is published by this Ministry provides information on rural  health  infrastructure  including human  resources and  its functional  status. The  report  is published based on the information provided by State/UTs.

The health care infrastructure in rural areas of India has been developed as a three - tier syste m. As per the population norms of health care infrastructure, there s hall be one sub - centre for  every  5,000  population,  one  primary  health  centre  for  every  30,000  population  and community health centre for every 1,20,000 population respectively in plain - areas across India. Further,  as  per  the  same  population  norms,  ther e  shall  be  one  sub - centre  for  every  3,000 population, one primary health centre for every 20,000 population and one community he centre for every 80,000 population respectively in hilly/tribal/difficult areas across In Rural Health Statistic s 2018 - 19 (as on 31 st March, 2019), around 1,57,411 Sub - Centres (SCs), 24,855 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) (these include Health & Wellness Centres) and 5,3 Community Health centres (CHCs) are functional in rural areas.

In addition to above, around 1, 415 Mobile Medical Units are functional in the country to serve  the  people  living  in  the  remote  areas  to  improve  the ir access to  health  services; additionally, 25,000  ambulances  are  made  operational  in  the  remote  areas  to  provide  th transportation service s in the emergency situation to nearest functional facility .

Further, Public  Healt h being  a  State  Subject,  the  primary  responsibility  of mproving access to healthcare facilities, including infrastructure strengthening and deployment of adequ ate human resource in public health facilities including in rural areas lie with therespective State Governments. To address the healthcare challenges, National Health Mission (NHM) supplements  thefforts  of  the  State/UT G overnments  to  provide accessible,  affordable  and quality healthcare to all those who access public health facilities especially in rural areas.

NHM alsoprovid es support to State/UTs for setting up of new facilities as per norms a upgradation of existing facilities for bridging the infrastructure gaps and to fill up the of human resource on the basis of requirement s posed by them. NHM support is also provided for provision of a host of free services related to maternal health, child health, adolescent health, family planning, universal immunisation programme, and for major diseases such as Tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, vector borne diseases like Malaria, Dengue nd Kala Azar, Leprosy etc.

(c) & (d): As per Rural Health Statistics 2018 - 19 ( as on 31 st March, 2019), on an average, a sub -centre (including HWC -SCs) covers 4 villages; a Primary Health Centre (including HWC - PHCs) covers  26  villages  and  a  Community  Health  centre  (CHCs)  covers  120  villages.  So,  all villages across India have bee n suitably covered.

The Government has taken up various steps to provide better medical facilities across India (including rural areas of the country) . Under National Health Mission, theGovernment of Indiasupport s the State/UTsfor  various  activities  bas d on  their respective States ' Program Implementation Plan (PIP).

Some of the important areas of support are:

- Providing financial support in the form of untied funds, annual maintenance grant Rogi  Kalyan  Samiti  ( RKS ) funds  for  development  of  health  f acilities  and  ensuring services.
- Providing infrastructural support to Sta e /UTs in constructing new health facilities and /or for up -gradation of infrastructure, Moth r & Child Health (MCH) wings, up - gradation of the trauma centres & First Referral Units, Operationalization of the blood banks etc.
- Operationalizing health facilities in rural areas (through placement of human resou difficult areas, supply of equipment, drugs and diagnostics).
- In  addition,  certain  new  initiatives  have  been  undertaken  li ke  the  Screening  for  Non -communicable  Diseases  (NCDs),  Mothers  Absolute  Affection  (to  promote  exclusive breastfeeding),  Pradhan  Mantri  Shurakshit  Matratva  Abhiyan  (to  improve  access specialist  maternal  care  through  voluntary  participation  of  private  pro viders), Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Program, Ayushman Bharat programme (which include Health and  Wellness  Centres  (HWC)  and  Pradhan  Mantri  Jan  Arogya  Yojana  (PMJAY)), Mission  Indradhanush  (to  immunise  partially  or  uncovered  population),  Rashtri Swa sthya  Bal  Karyakram  (RBSK),  Kayakalp (to promote  cleanliness,  hygiene  and Infection  Control  Practices  in  public  Health  Care  Facilities ),Labour  room  quality improvement initiative - LAQSHYA (I nitiative to reduce preventable maternal and new -born  mortality, morbidity  and  stillbirths associated  with  the  care  around  delivery  in Labour room and Maternity OT and ensure respectful maternity care ), Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) ( to end all preventable maternal and neonatal deaths ) etc.

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