Primary healthcare in TS is crumbling: Centre’s report

HYDERABAD: While urban Telangana’s development and modern infrastructure are being hyped, the state’s rural areas are witnessing a decay of primary healthcare systems owing to a lack of basic facilities.

According to the latest ministry of health and family welfare’s report on rural health statistics, Telangana had a shortfall of 12 per cent in primary healthcare centres (PHCs) and 53 per cent shortfall in the community health centres (CHC) in the interiors.

The report said that as against the required 721 PHCs in the state only 636 had been established. Of the 180 CHCs required, were available.

The report exposed the dire-straits of the health care system in rural parts, and called for urgent measures to build a robust healthcare system in the interiors.

President of Healthcare Reforms Doctors Association, Dr Mahesh Kumar K., speaking to Deccan Chronicle, said, “Primary healthcare is grossly neglected in the country, overall. As a state, we are focusing on tertiary healthcare in the rural areas with new medical colleges being proposed, which is not the immediate priority. PHCs and CHCs have to be strengthened at the ground-level and district hospitals should be upgraded to provide basic health care facilities to rural populations.

Experts expressed the need for a change from curative to preventive measures and easy access to healthcare in order to detect chronic health issues early and address them accordingly.

Dr Ranga Reddy, founder of Infection Control Academy of India and public health policy adviser, underlined the importance of strengthening primary health care.

He said, “Without strengthening primary care, we shall end up nowhere. Excessive focus on tertiary care is a misplaced priority. Especially for states like Telangana, which are undergoing rapid urbanization, there is a need for more CHCs. Unless we build a healthy primary healthcare system, we will not be able to cater to the growing morbidity situation in the state.”