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Essay On PHC

Primary health care centers play a crucial role in providing basic healthcare services, especially in rural areas. However, many such centers in India are understaffed and lack necessary infrastructure and supplies. This was evident in the case of Niharika, who had to carry her sick father-in-law long distances to a hospital due to the unavailability of a functional primary health center in her village. As a result, her father-in-law succumbed to COVID-19 due to lack of timely treatment. Experts recommend increasing public health expenditure to at least 1-2% of GDP and improving staffing and resources at primary health centers to better serve communities and reduce health-related financial burdens. Strengthening

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Shivanshu Pandey
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12 views4 pages

Essay On PHC

Primary health care centers play a crucial role in providing basic healthcare services, especially in rural areas. However, many such centers in India are understaffed and lack necessary infrastructure and supplies. This was evident in the case of Niharika, who had to carry her sick father-in-law long distances to a hospital due to the unavailability of a functional primary health center in her village. As a result, her father-in-law succumbed to COVID-19 due to lack of timely treatment. Experts recommend increasing public health expenditure to at least 1-2% of GDP and improving staffing and resources at primary health centers to better serve communities and reduce health-related financial burdens. Strengthening

Uploaded by

Shivanshu Pandey
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© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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PRIMARY HEALTH CARE AND COVID PANDEMIC

An adage in India goes “ Sarve Bhavantu Sukhina Sarve Santu Niramaya” [May all be happy, may all be
healthy]. However its Ironical that us Indians who pray for the good health of all do not have one for
ourselves. Recently Niharika a housewife carried her father in law on her back to a district hospital in
Bhotigaon Raha district of Assam. It was already late when they reached the hospital She had to wait two
more days for hospitalization. Next day her father in law succumbed to covid-19 owing to lack of timely
treatment and requisite care. The cost that she had incurred on transportation, treatment and funeral
added to her woes . Had Primary health center in her village been operational some of her problems
could easily be solved. Infection would have been diagnosed comparatively earlier and timely care might
have saved her father in law. According to WHO 930 million people like Niharika are at risk of falling into
poverty due to out of pocket health spending of 10% or more of their household budget.

What is Primary Health Care?

Role of PHC as outlined in Alma Ata declaration of 1978 was to “Meet people’s health needs throughout
their lives; Addressing the broader determinants of health through multisectoral policies and
empowering individual families and communities to take charge of their own health”.

Evolution in India

Gandhiji endorsed idea of community healthcare during Champaran Satyagraha in 1917 to make villages
self reliant in treating common ailments . In India Right to health is not a fundamental right. Supreme
court in one of its judgement said “It is neither necessary nor sufficient to guarantee the provision of the
of accessible and affordable healthcare for all.” Article 47 directs the state to raise the level of nutrition
and improve public health among its primary duties . Bhore Committee constituted after Independence
recommended for a three tier Primary Health System. Later Jungalwalla commission[1967] advocated
for Integrated Health services with unified approach for all problems while Srivastava committee [1975]
took the idea forward suggesting for National Referral Services Complex. Many experts like Amartya
Sen accuse National Health Policy 2009 for opening health sector to private entities this has shifted the
focus towards Tertiary Health Care and thus PHC lost its ground in India. .

CHALLENGES

According to Economic Survey 2019 -2020 only 0.7 doctors are available for every 1000 people in India
when its 1.97 in China and 5.91 in Cuba. Reluctance of doctors to work in rural areas and their
absenteeism has aggravated the scarcity , Some PHCs lack adequate infrastructure while some other are
struggling with lack of medicinal supplies, WHO recommends every country to allocate additional 1% of
GDP to PHCs , While the value of Public expenditure by State and Union territories in Fiscal year2018-19
stood at 1.28% of Indian GDP far less compared to countries like Cuba[11.2%] and Taiwan [6.4%].

WAY FORWARD

Government is making efforts to bring in requisite reforms proper implementation of schemes like PDS,
PMGKY, NREGA, Swattch Bharat Abhiyaan is a good step to begin with. Second step could be creating
awareness about schemes likes Ayushmaan Bharat , Indradhanush etc. among masses. NK Sing,
chairman of 15th finance commission recommended increase in health expenditure to 2.5% of GDP by
2030 while allocating 2/3 of health spending to PHC. There should be one PHC for every 40000 people
and one health worker for every 10000 population according to Mudailar committee .Bhore committee
advocated for Social Physicians with a training of 3 month to increase community participation.
Implementing e-VIN [ Electronic Vaccine Intelligence network] ,Radio health, tele medicine , virtual
consultation and Floating dispensaries as per recommendations of National Commission on
Macroeconomics and health can be instrumental in fighting health challenges that lies ahead of us in the
generations to come.

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