Condition of Primary Health Care Centers (PHCs) in the country is pitiable. We have been raising this issue repeatedly. Even the State High Court has taken suo moto initiative in ameliorating the existing condition of Medical Health in the State. Primary Health Centers in the country are mostly opened in rural areas of the State so that care can be taken about the health of the village folks who do not have easy access to reasonable medical facility. Around eight per cent of the Primary Health Centers (PHCs) across rural India are running without a doctor while more than 35 per cent of them do not have a laboratory technician, according to Rural Health Statistics 2014-15 released by the Government.
On specialists’ manpower at Community Health Centers (CHCs) in rural parts of the country, the data says, that as on March 31 this year, out of the sanctioned posts, 74.6 per cent of surgeons, and 65.4 per cent of obstetricians and gynecologists among others, were vacant.
The CHC provides specialized medical care of surgeons, obstetricians and gynecologists, physicians and pediatricians. The main reason of why in PHCs large number of posts of doctors, surgeons, gynecologists, pediatricians and others including some technicians and nurses remain vacant for long periods is that most of the staff assigned to the PHCs avoid joining duty when posted to rural areas. They find it not conducive to their interests. They prefer to be posted to towns and cities where they can run their private practice side by side. The spirit of service to the countrymen is totally nonexistent to them and the spirit of patriotism is a distant cry. The Government is also soft paddling and does not enforce strict rules to see that those who refuse to render service in rural areas are suspended. Unless the Government takes strict action this shortage of doctors and technical hands in PHCs is not going to be reduced. The Government can make rules that freshers have to render three years of service in rural areas and that no doctor or technician will stay at one place for a specific period of timed. Doctors bring political pressures and thus the entire system gets corrupted at the cost of the poor people of the country.
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