New Health Sub Centres to come up with no new staff posts, basic infrastructure
Tamil Nadu is set to see the creation of 642 new Health Sub Centres (HSC) in rural and urban areas. However, there is a catch. The new facilities have been approved, but without new staff posts and basic infrastructure support. Instead, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANM), who are working in Primary Health Centres (PHC), will be redeployed to the new HSCs.
This decision has raised some serious questions on how the Health department has been handling acute shortages of manpower, including some 3,000-odd vacancies of Village Health Nurses (VHN)/ANMs for the past four years, while adding on new health infrastructure.
The State currently has 8,713 HSCs, with the norms prescribing one HSC for every 5,000-6,000 population. Establishing 642 urban and rural HSCs on the basis of population was one of the announcements made by the Health Minister in the Assembly earlier this year.
In line with this, a Government Order issued on June 13 stated that the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine submitted a proposal and the list of 642 HSCs were identified for new creation on rationalisation as per population norms in rural and urban areas 'with no additional fund'. Each HSC has one post of VHN.
Based on the proposal, the State government, while giving administrative nod for establishing the HSCs (617 in rural and 25 in urban), stated that creation of new posts will not be sanctioned and ANMs have to be redeployed to the HSCs as the posts of VHNs and ANMs carries identical scale of pay and are interchangeable.
The available rent-free building or any government building should be utilised for the HSCs, and for the most basic infrastructure, such as fan and furniture, the existing infrastructure available in the PHC under which the HSC is located should be utilised. But this was not all. Electricity charges for the newly-created HSCs should be managed from the funds allocated towards electricity charges for the respective PHCs.
As per official data, 2,013 posts of VHNs (of the 8,713 sanctioned) and 1,251 posts of ANMs (of the 2,057 sanctioned) are lying vacant, a source in the Health department pointed out. 'This shortage remains unresolved for the last four years citing court cases. For a government that has strong legal teams, it is unacceptable that legal issues relating to health manpower are not being resolved,' he said.
Redeploying ANMs from PHCs to the new HSCs will give rise to additional vacancies in PHCs. 'As of now, 806 ANMs are in place. If nearly 600 of them are shifted, then additional vacancies will rise in PHCs. Not to forget that there is a huge vacancy of staff nurses in PHCs,' he added.
'Every time we ask, the court cases are cited for delay in filling up the VHN vacancies. As a result, maternal and child health services are getting affected. When the government has been successful in many cases, they should sort out this at the earliest. Instead of redeploying ANMs, the department should create new posts and fill up the vacant posts of VHNs at the earliest,' K.S. Manimegalai, State president, Tamil Nadu Government Health Women Union, said.
A health official said they would fill up the vacancies immediately after the case was vacated in the Supreme Court. 'We have already filed the counter to vacate the stay and are waiting for the judgement,' he said, adding that ANM redeployment would be done as per procedure and need.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
19 hours ago
- The Hindu
Association registers objection to dialysis services in PHCs on PPP model
With the State government issuing an order to establish dialysis facilities in upgraded Primary Health Centres (PHC) and run them through Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, Service Doctors and Post Graduates Association (SDPGA) has registered its objection. The association has stated that dialysis is a tertiary care service that requires technicians under the supervision of physicians, and engaging private players to run dialysis units may lead to full-fledged privatisation in the future. Under this, the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine has been given the responsibility to run the dialysis units through the PPP model. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the association said that PHCs are mainly focused on primary prevention aspects of the health system. As Tamil Nadu is seeing an increase in Non Communicable Diseases involving high blood pressure, diabetes, heart and kidney ailments, PHCs should be strengthened in early identification of risk factors to prevent further damages. Bringing a tertiary service will divert from their main role. The SDPGA said that engaging the private sector in the government setup may lead to full privatisation in the future. Introducing the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme in PHCs is the next step to ask medical officers to earn and meet out all expenses similar to what is happening now in the health institutions under the directorates of Medical and Rural Health Services and Medical Education and Research. Currently, dialysis facilities are available in all district headquarters hospitals and medical college hospitals without private partners. SDPGA demanded the government to expand the same kind of dialysis services to taluk and non taluk hospitals.
The Hindu
21 hours ago
- The Hindu
CSEP study highlights the need for Karnataka to widen State-level initiatives in primary healthcare and elementary education
A study on the drivers of State-level initiatives in primary healthcare and elementary education in urban areas during the last decade has highlighted the need for Karnataka to widen the range of initiatives in primary healthcare and elementary education. This is important to provide government-funded primary health and elementary education to all in Karnataka, and not just the poorest, the study stated. The paper titled 'Drivers of primary healthcare and elementary education initiatives in Karnataka (2014–2024)' by Priyadarshini Singh, research fellow at the Centre for Social and Economic Progress (CSEP), was discussed by a panel of experts at a seminar on 'Policy options for urban health and education' on Wednesday. The panel, which was comprised of public health and education experts Sudha Chandrashekar and Sanjay Kaul, discussed the implications of the study's findings for improving urban public health and education services in Karnataka and beyond. Recommendations The working paper, which recommends additional pathways from which new State-level initiatives can emerge, is part of a three-State (Karnataka, Rajasthan, and Odisha) study that examined the drivers of State-level initiatives in primary healthcare and elementary education, focusing specifically on urban areas from 2014-2024. 'The paper investigates three questions in the case of Karnataka — the key initiatives that focus on the overall primary health and elementary education system; ground-level issues in the working of Urban Primary Health Centres and schools, and the reason that drove the emergence of these initiatives,' said Ms. Singh, pointing out that the study is based on extensive fieldwork in two urban municipal corporations — one each in north and south Karnataka. 'Effective social welfare, whether in the areas of education, health, sanitation, water, or nutrition, is not only dependent on how well existing programmes are implemented and governance systems function but also on the extent to which social welfare is prioritised by the State and Central governments. Prioritisation is reflected in forms such as increased budget allocation, mission-mode implementation of existing programmes, or the development of new initiatives that solve specific challenges,' she said presenting the paper. Sluggish performance Pointing out that Karnataka is often praised in nationally prominent indices as a progressive State with strong fiscal, health, and education indicators, she said, 'However, our analysis questions this categorisation, suggesting that Karnataka's good performance is limited to certain indicators, where it is only marginally better than the national average. In many other health and education indicators, such as out-of-pocket expenditure and learning levels, Karnataka's performance is sluggish.' The researcher said Karnataka exhibits stark intra-State disparities, and the uptake of public health and education facilities compared to private ones is poor. 'Despite historically undertaking prominent initiatives, Karnataka is not a national leader in health and education. We analyse the drivers of State-level initiatives to understand why Karnataka has not become a national leader with high uptake and quality of primary health and elementary education in urban areas,' she explained.
Hans India
a day ago
- Hans India
Rigorous health monitoring in place for Rath Yatra
Bhubaneswar: In preparation for the upcoming Rath Yatra, the Odisha government has announced a series of health measures, including the deployment of 378 healthcare professionals and 265 hospital beds to ensure public safety during the annual religious event in Puri. Talking to reporters, Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling said elaborate arrangements have been made to handle medical emergencies during the festival, which draws lakhs of devotees each year. Mahaling said in addition to 378 doctors and para-medical staff, 69 first-aid centres and 74 ambulances will be kept ready for any emergencies. Given the recent outbreak of diarrhoea, the government has taken precautions to ensure the availability of safe drinking water and prevent the sale of stale food in the town. The additional 265 hospital beds include 15 ICU beds and 100 beds at the ANM Training Centre, while the Puri District Headquarters Hospital has reserved 68 beds, including general, burn and ICU facilities. 'I hope that the Rath Yatra will be conducted smoothly with the blessings of Lord Jagannath,' the minister said. The District Headquarters Hospital (DHH) has reserved 68 beds, including 50 general beds, 8 burn ward beds and 10 ICU beds, an official statement of Health department said. Additionally, 200 units of blood have been reserved while two minor operation theatres along with specialised dressing rooms have been set up to handle any medical emergencies. For the first time, a team of doctors from AIIMS-Bhubaneswar will be stationed at medical centres in Puri to provide additional support. Similarly, a specialised 10-bed air-conditioned heat stroke centre has been established at Talabania to address weather-related health issues. 'Rigorous health monitoring and disease prevention measures are in place to maintain public health standards throughout the Rath Yatra period,' the statement said. Eight food safety officers have been assigned the job to curb outbreak of any water or food-borne disease. All 108 emergency ambulances will remain on high alert and operate along designated corridors with the support of NGO volunteers. So far, 494 kg of unhygienic food has been destroyed after 249 inspections of food establishments. The administration has also collected 84 food samples, 22 water samples and conducted 10 stool culture tests and 82 water analyses. An extensive information, education and communication campaign will be undertaken to promote public health awareness covering food safety, safe drinking water practices, hand washing and hygiene protocols, ORS usage, health programmes, COVID-19 prevention measures and Ayushman Bharat Programme awareness, the statement said. A dedicated Rath Yatra control room will operate round-the-clock throughout the festival period to coordinate all health-related activities and respond to emergencies. The control room can be reached at mobile number +91 6370560247 and landline number 06752-222175 for any medical assistance or information.
