Handling Coronavirus In ‘Aspirational Districts’ Is An Uphill Battle For The Government
The southern Indian state, Kerala, was successful in preventing the infection of the coronavirus epidemic as the primary and community health centres in that state are well-equipped with state-of-the-art facilities.
In states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh, the situation can go awry, in case the cases rise, because of the weak health infrastructure. The number of primary and community health centres in these states is very low. In places where centers have been built, the limited staff is an issue with bare minimum facilities.
There are more than 110 districts in the country where the basic structure of education and health is very weak. The government calls them ‘aspirational districts’. Most of these districts are in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh. This is also one of the reasons for the maximum migration from these states.
As per reports, there should be 1,445 community health centres in proportion to the population of Uttar Pradesh but there are only 679, a gap of 53%. Balrampur district is 160 km from Lucknow which had 41 cases of corona till now. This district with more than 21 lakh population(in 2011) has six community health centres and a district hospital.
In Bihar, there is a need for 887 rural community health centres but it has only 150, a gap of 83%. More than 269 cases have been reported in Bihar's Khagadia district, which doesn’t have a single community health center. There is only one district hospital for a population of 16.7 lakhs(in 2011).
The same situation is also in Madhya Pradesh where instead of 558 there are only 309 community health centres, a gap of 45%.
There should be 269 community health centers in Jharkhand, but only 171 centers are built for patients, a shortage of 36%. There have been 43 cases in the Simdega district which has only six community health centres and a population of over 6 lakhs(in 2011).
An ideal community health centre should have four doctors, more than 30 paramedical staff, and the same number of beds, but the ground reality is quite the opposite.
Statistics show that in the year 2019, the number of doctors working in these community health centers has decreased compared to 2018. Earlier, 4074 specialist doctors were deployed at community centers but now it has reduced to 3881. The government itself believes that according to its own standards, there is a shortage of about 82% specialist doctors.
There are more than 110 districts in the country where the basic structure of education and health is very weak. The government calls them ‘aspirational districts’. Most of these districts are in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Madhya Pradesh. This is also one of the reasons for the maximum migration from these states.
As per reports, there should be 1,445 community health centres in proportion to the population of Uttar Pradesh but there are only 679, a gap of 53%. Balrampur district is 160 km from Lucknow which had 41 cases of corona till now. This district with more than 21 lakh population(in 2011) has six community health centres and a district hospital.
In Bihar, there is a need for 887 rural community health centres but it has only 150, a gap of 83%. More than 269 cases have been reported in Bihar's Khagadia district, which doesn’t have a single community health center. There is only one district hospital for a population of 16.7 lakhs(in 2011).
The same situation is also in Madhya Pradesh where instead of 558 there are only 309 community health centres, a gap of 45%.
There should be 269 community health centers in Jharkhand, but only 171 centers are built for patients, a shortage of 36%. There have been 43 cases in the Simdega district which has only six community health centres and a population of over 6 lakhs(in 2011).
An ideal community health centre should have four doctors, more than 30 paramedical staff, and the same number of beds, but the ground reality is quite the opposite.
Statistics show that in the year 2019, the number of doctors working in these community health centers has decreased compared to 2018. Earlier, 4074 specialist doctors were deployed at community centers but now it has reduced to 3881. The government itself believes that according to its own standards, there is a shortage of about 82% specialist doctors.
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