Providing healthcare nationwide a daunting task: Centre

New Delhi, Dec 22: Lok Sabha was informed on Friday that providing healthcare to a population of 1 point 3 billion people nationwide is a "daunting" task and the onus of provision of primary health facilities is essentially with the states.

The admission came from Union Minister of State for Health Anupriya Patel during Question Hour when several members, including Anandrao Adsul (Shiv Sena), maintained that the conditions of healthcare services were often dismal in a number of states.
"Providing healthcare to 1.3 billion population is a daunting task....But health being a state subject, the onus is more with the states," Ms Patel said.
In order to improve the quality of healthcare and especially to improve rural reach, she said the government has introduced tele-medicine services. 
"We are providing technical and financial support, but it is up to the states to improve the tele-medicine network under National Health Mission," the Minister said.
Responding to supplementaries, including from Vinayak Raut (Shiv Sena) and Ratan Lal Kataria (Bharatiya Janata Party), the Minister said government has several steps to monitor implementation of NHM and 'utilisation' of funds by the states.
Among other steps like normal review of expenditure made and audit of accounts, she said, there is a mechanism under which there is integrated monitoring visits by senior officials of the ministry and National Health Resource Centre.
The use of Health Management Information System is also made to monitor the performance of various programmes and different health facilities, the Minister added. UNI