Hyderabad: Staff shortages, lack of funds, and delays in the construction of infrastructure for hospitals and health centres in districts have reaffirmed medical associations' concerns about the state's primary health care system. The state of facilities in one such district, Narayanpet, exemplifies this.
According to information provided in a response to an RTI, only 72 staff members work out of a total sanctioned strength of 258 in various departments at the Narayanpet District Hospital, with the remaining 186 positions vacant. There are openings for eight civil surgeons, 24 civil assistant surgeons, 12 deputy civil surgeons, 36 ANMs, nine head nurses, and 28 staff nurses, among other positions.
Apart from this, the budget allocated for the hospital has not been fully utilised for the past eight years, with large sums remaining unspent in some years. For example, in 2021-22, a sum of Rs 17.36 lakh was not used from a budget of Rs 4.6 crore, whereas in 2018-19, a sum of Rs 15.65 lakh was not used from a budget of Rs 6.1 crore.
According to activist Rajesh Aleti, who filed the RTI, since the formation of Narayanpet district in 2019, Community Health Centres (CHCs) have been sanctioned in Maddur and Kosgi the same year, but they are still under construction. According to him, officials in Makthal converted the district hospital into a medical college without completing the construction of a CHC to replace the hospital. "The state government hypes health infrastructure, but it takes years to complete," said Aleti.
According to the Rural Health Statistics 2020-21 report, the number of CHCs and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across the state is 53 per cent and 12 per cent lower than the required numbers, respectively. This has prompted medical associations to question why the government prioritises tertiary healthcare over primary care.
An official from the Health Department said the shortage of staff at health centres was due to a delay in the release of funds allocated to them, and denied that the government was focusing more on tertiary services.
