With most doctors reluctant to work in remote areas of the country, the Narendra Modi Government is working on a unique plan in coordination with States to hand over the short-staffed primary health centres (PHCs) to local non-profit organisations or NGOs to tone up the overall public health system.
Currently, due to the lack of medical practitioners and even paramedical staff in PHCs besides shortage of basic medicines, locals in the remote areas, particularly from the tribal regions, are either left to fend for themselves or have to travel long distances to district hospitals even for the treatment of common ailments.
Sources in the Union Health Ministry said a guideline has been prepared and sent to the States to rope in
NGOs working in the health sector so that medical services reach to the locals in the inaccessible areas.
“The plan is at a very initial stage. The States have been asked to assess the PHCs which are non-functional due to one or another reason. Once these are identified, the States will be asked to list the NGOs working in the area who can be handed over these infrastructure,” they said.
The Government feels it will be a win-win situation for the stakeholders — NGOs and the States and of course locals. PHCs sometimes referred to as public health centres are State-owned rural health care facilities in the country.
They are essentially single-physician clinics usually with facilities for minor surgeries and are the most basic units of the health system in India.
Presently, there are 23,109 PHCs in the country. Many are facing severe shortage of staff particularly in rural areas (See Box 1)
“In many cases we have found that many NGOs are diligently providing medical help to the locals in the far flung areas where doctors dread to visit. While the voluntary organisations are committed to the health cause for the locals, at times they feel pinch because of inadequate infrastructure to function smoothly. On the other hand, while the State Governments have infrastructure, doctors and other human resources are not available,” said the sources.
In case the number of patients increases because of NGOs intervention, the latter will be given incentive per case. For instance, suppose just one patient was visiting earlier and after the NGOs takeover five patients start attending the centre, the States will give them incentives per patients.
However, he made it clear that the NGOs will not be allowed to charge any patient and the State Government will continue to enjoy the right on the PHCs. “We don’t want the privatisation of the health services. The guidelines also take care of accountability issue under this partnership programme,” officials said.
Apart from the regular medical treatments, infant immunisation programs, anti-epidemic programmes, birth control programmes, pregnancy and related care are some of the major focus area of the PHCs in the country.