Lok Sabha Question No. 3368 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-08
Subject: Shortage of Healthcare Infrastructure
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Shri Y S Avinash Reddy

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRY OFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3368 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.08.2025

## SHORTAGE OF HEALTHCARE INFRASTRUCTURE

## 3368. SHRI YS AVINASH REDDY:

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

- (a) whether lack of adequate healthcare infrastructure, such as Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and hospitals, is affecting the rural population in the country;
- (b) if so, the steps taken/proposed to be taken by the Government to make healthcare accessible in rural areas;
- (c) the difference in the availability of emergency medical services, including ambulances in rural and urban areas along with the steps taken to reduce this gap;
- (d) the primary reasons for the shortage of qualified doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals in rural India; and
- (e) the manner in which uneven distribution of healthcare workers in urban and rural areas affect the quality of healthcare facilities in the country?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV)

(a) to (e) : Health Dynamics of India (HDI) (Infrastructure & Human Resources), 2022-23 is an annual publication, based on healthcare administrative data reported by States/UTs. The State/UT -wise details of Primary Health Centers (PHCs) and other healthcare facilities in rural areas and details of doctors, nurses and other healthcare professionals in rural healthcare facilities in the country, is available at website of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at Uniform Resources Locator (URL) as under:

https://mohfw.gov.in/sites/default/files/Health%20Dynamics%20of%20India%20%28Infrastruct ure%20%26%20Human%20Resources%29%202022-23\_RE%20%281%29.pdf

The National Health Mission (NHM) envisages achievement of universal access to equitable, affordable & quality health care services that are accountable and responsive to people's needs. NHM encompasses its two Sub-Missions, the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM). The main programmatic components include Health System Strengthening in rural and urban areas, Reproductive-MaternalNeonatal-Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A), Health Systems Strengthening and Communicable and NonCommunicable Diseases.

Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM) is a Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) with some Central Sector Components (CS) which has an outlay of Rs. 64,180 Crores for the scheme period (2021-22 to 2025-26). The measures under the PM-ABHIM focus on developing capacities of health systems and institutions across the continuum of care at all levels, primary, secondary and tertiary, to prepare health systems in responding effectively to the current and future pandemics/disasters.

The Fifteenth Finance Commission (FC-XV) has recommended grants through local governments for specific components of the health sector and spread over the five-year period from FY 2021-22 to FY 2025-26 to facilitate strengthening of health system at the grass-root level for an amount of Rs. 70,000 crores. These grants are for strengthening primary care through specified components such as Building-less Sub-Health Centres (SHCs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), Conversion of rural PHCs and Sub- Centres to Ayushman Arogya Mandir (AAM), Support for diagnostic infrastructure to the primary healthcare facilities, Block Level Public Health Units and Urban - AAMs.

Further, to improve access to quality healthcare services in remote and rural areas support for Mobile Medical Unit(MMU) is provided to States/UTs, based on the requirements posed by them in their Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs), subject to availability of resources. Deployment of MMUs is based on a normal population norm with 1 MMU per 10 lakhs population. Also, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has developed eSanjeevani, a telemedicine application, which provides doctor to doctor (HWC module) and patient to doctor consultation services (OPD module). This application works on a hub and spoke model. At hub level, a specialist doctor provides services to Health and Wellness Centers (HWCs) in rural areas.

Under Free Drugs Service Initiative (FDSI), Government of India supports procurement of drugs and strengthening robust systems of procurement, Quality Assurance, Supply chain management and warehousing, Prescription audit, grievance redressal, dissemination of Standard Treatment Guidelines and Establishment of IT enabled platform DVDMS (Drugs & Vaccine Distribution Management System) for monitoring the real status of procurement and availability of essential medicines. Ministry of Health and Welfare (MoHFW) has recommended facility wise Essential Medicines List (EML) to be made available at the public healthcare facilities which includes provision of a variety 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 and Kala Azar, Leprosy etc. The facility wise number of medicines in the EML includes 106 drugs at Sub Health Centre level, 172 at Primary Health Centre level, 300 at Community Health Centre level, 318 at Subdistrict Hospital level and 381 drugs at district Hospital level. However, States have the flexibility to add more medicines.

NHM provides technical and financial support to the States/UTs for emergency medical services through a functional National Ambulance Service (NAS) network which is linked with a centralized toll-free number 108/102. Dial 108 is primarily designed to attend to patients of critical care, trauma and accident victims etc. Dial 102 services includes basic patient transport that aims to cater to the needs of pregnant women and children and others too.

As per NHM norms, one Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulance per 100,000 population and one Advanced Life Support (ALS) per 500,000 population is provided. The National Ambulance Code (AIS-125) sets technical and safety norms. Emergency services like 102 and 108 are GPStracked and performance-monitored. Some states use bike and boat ambulances in remote areas.

Emergency care services is one of the expanded package of services under Ayushman Bharat. Urban Ayushman Arogya Mandir and rural Ayushman Arogya Mandir are providing the expanded package & services.