Tribal areas of the State are grappling with a shortage of certain specialist doctors at Community Health Centres (CHCs), with the facilities requiring five more paediatricians, 12 surgeons and radiographers each, apart from 13 physicians. Moreover, the number of Sub Centres, and Primary Health Centres (PHCs) there are in surplus, but when it comes to CHCs, there is a shortfall of 15.
These are the findings mentioned in the Rural Health Statistics 2020-2021, which was released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare last week. It contains a detailed report on the availability and shortfall of doctors, specialist doctors, health workers, pharmacists and lab technicians, among other categories, in the Sub Centres, PHCs, and CHCs across urban, rural and tribal areas of Telangana. The tribal pockets have an estimated population of 27.58 lakh.
The healthcare infrastructure has been developed as a three-tier system — Sub Centres, which are the first point of contact between PHCs and the community. At the second level are PHCs, the first contact point between village community and the Medical Officer, and are designed to provide preventive and curative healthcare to people in rural areas. Then come the CHCs, which are 30-bed hospitals, providing specialist care, for every four PHCs.
There are a total of 5,000 Sub Centres, 863 PHCs, and 95 CHCs in the State. In rural parts, while Sub Centres are in surplus, there is a shortfall of 85 PHCs and 95 CHCs. What’s more, there is also a shortage of certain specialist doctors in some of the CHCs. Of the 85 CHCs in rural areas, only 18 have a functional stabilisation unit for newborns.
Recently, Health Minister T. Harish Rao issued permission to the district administrations to hold walk-in interviews to appoint doctors at PHCs..
