All’s not well with rural Gujarat’s healthcare

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat is among India’s industrially developed states, but when it comes to public health parameters, figures don’t present a rosy picture.
According to data tabled recently in the Lok Sabha by the Union ministry of health and family welfare, only 21.3% of 1,474 primary health centres (PHCs) in Gujarat’s rural areas work round the clock.
Except Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Kerala, all states clocked better numbers.Of the total PHCs in Gujarat, only 23.7% have operation theatres, putting the state in the 18th rank nationally.

The data was tabled by Ashwini Kumar Choubey, the Union minister of state for health and family welfare, in an answer to questions posed by MPs Unmesh Bhaiyyasaheb Patil and BY Raghavendra.
The dataset revealed that 52% of PHCs in Gujarat and 41% community health centres (CHCs) do not have separate toilet facilities for staff. Out of 363 CHCs, only 141 (39%) have residential quarters for specialist doctors; the quarters are used for accommodation only at 83 locations.
The data covers the period till March 31, 2018.
In response to a question raised by MP Ravneet Singh Bittu, Choubey tabled data that showed that PHCs in Gujarat are 29% short of doctors. The situation is grimmer when it comes to specialists: the shortfall of surgeons, obstetrician-gynaecologists, physicians, and paediatricians is 90%.
The data also indicated that against the sanctioned staff strength of 518 at district hospitals in Gujarat, 200 positions were vacant as on March 31, 2018. The situation was worse in sub-district/sub-divisional hospitals, where against 435 sanctioned posts, 272 or 62% were vacant.
An Ahmedabad health professional told TOI on the condition of anonymity that the state recently revised the rules for bonds for doctors because of these worrying numbers. “But will the revision serve the purpose? The need of the hour is to incentivize rural postings and strengthen infrastructure,” said the official. “Improving rural services will reduce the burden on urban centres such as Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Surat, and Rajkot that receive a large number of patients daily.”