Lok Sabha Question No. 455 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2023-02-03
Subject: Shortage of Health Specialists in CHCs
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Ravneet Singh

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

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 455

## TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 3 rd  FEBRUARY, 2023

## SHORTAGE OF HEALTH SPECIALISTS IN CHCs

## 455. SHRI RAVNEET SINGH BITTU:

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

- (a) whether as per recent Reserve Bank of India data there is a huge shortage of health specialists in State Community Health Centres (CHCs) in different parts of the country;
- (b) if so, the details thereof, State/UT-wise including Punjab;
- (c) the details of the challenges, if any, being faced in the recruitment and deployment of health specialists in these CHCs in the country;
- (d) whether the Government is taking any measures to enable the availability of health specialists in these CHCs in various different regions of the country; and
- (e) if so, the details thereof and if not, the reasons therefor?

## THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND

## ANSWER FAMILY WELFARE

## (DR. BHARATI PRAVIN PAWAR)

- (a) to (b):  The Reserve Bank of India in its handbook of 'Statistics of Indian States' published data on health specialists in Community Health Centers (CHCs) based on data sourced from the Rural Health Statistics  (RHS),  MoHFW, Government of India.   The details of health Specialists in CHCs in the Rural and  Urban  areas  in  the  country  are  available  on  the  website  of  Ministry  of  Health  and  Family Welfare at the Uniform Resources Locator (URL) as under: https://main.mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/RHS%202021%2022.pdf .
- (c) to (e): All the administrative and personnel matters related to health human resource lies with the respective State/UT Governments.  Under National Health Mission, Ministry of Health & Family Welfare provides financial and technical support to States/UTs to strengthen their healthcare systems based on

the requirements posed by them in their Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) within their overall resource envelope.

Under NHM, following types of incentives and honorarium are provided for encouraging Health Specialists to practice in different regions of the country including rural and remote areas of the country:

-  Hard  area  allowance  to  specialist  doctors  for  serving  in  rural  and  remote  areas  and  for  their residential quarters so that they find it attractive to serve in public health facilities in such areas.
-  Honorarium  to  Gynecologists/  Emergency  Obstetric  Care  (EmoC)  trained,  Pediatricians  & Anesthetist/ Life Saving Anaesthesia Skills (LSAS) trained doctors is also provided to increase availability of specialists for conducting Cesarean Sections in rural & remote area.
-  Incentives like special incentives for doctors, incentive for ANM for ensuring timely ANC checkup and recording, incentives for conducting Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health activities.
-  States  are  also  allowed  to  offer  negotiable  salary  to  attract  specialist  including  flexibility  in strategies such as 'You Quote We Pay'.
-  Non-Monetary incentives such as preferential admission in post graduate courses for staff serving in  difficult  areas  and  improving  accommodation  arrangement  in  rural  areas  have  also  been introduced under NHM.
-  Multi-skilling of doctors is supported under NHM to overcome the shortage of specialists. Skill upgradation of existing HR is another major strategy under NRHM for achieving improvement in health outcomes.
-  As per Section (51) of the NMC Act, 2019, the regulations of National Medical Commission of India provide for incentive of marks at the rate of upto 10% for each year service in rural/ remote/ difficult areas of the State and maximum upto 30% in NEET (PG) for admission to PG medical courses. Further, 50% medical diploma seats are reserved for the in-service medical doctors of the State Government who have served in remote and/ or difficult areas.

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