Govt asked to submit state-wise data on health sub-centres

Observing that even in high- performing states some health sub-centres were functioning “only on paper”, a parliamentary panel has asked the Govt to submit state-wise data on such units within three months.

Observing that even in high- performing states some health sub-centres were functioning “only on paper”, a parliamentary panel has asked the government to submit state-wise data on such units within three months.

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The Committee on Empowerment of Women, headed by Congress MP Krishna Tirath, also noted that out of the 145,000 sub-centres in the country, only 50 per cent are operating from a government building.

Pointing out that the sub-centre is the first peripheral contact point between primary health care system and the community, the panel in its report on ‘medical facilities for women at AIIMS, hospitals and primary health centres´ raised doubts as to how many of them were actually functioning.

“Even in high-performing states like Kerala, some of the sub-centres were functioning only on paper,” it observed.

The Ministry of Health was earlier asked by the committee to submit state-wise data of the units actually functioning and those only on paper, but it has “failed” to do so, the report noted.