NRHM falls short of its assigned duty, in the doldrums Negligence writ large on rural health
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, June 05 2014: With medical consignments under the National Rural Health Mission failing to reach the rural health centres since September last year, there is the growing suspicion that most of the rural health centres such as Primary Health Sub-Centres may no longer have adequate stock of medicines to meet the requirements of the rural people.

This came to light during a survey conducted by The Sangai Express in the rural areas of Manipur in the last few days.

During the survey it was found that in some Primary Health Sub-Centres, not a single medicine which is supposed to be supplied by the Government under NRHM was available.

Talking to The Sangai Express an ANM working in a PHSC, on condition of anonymity, said that they have not received any medicine which was supposed to be despatched under the National Rural Health Mission since September last year.

Under the NRHM medicines or supplements such as ORS (Oral Rehydration Solution), Iron tablets, Paracetamol tablets, Metron tablets, Crocin tablets were supplied to the rural health centres.

For pregnant women, RDT (Rapid Diagnostic Test) equipment to test for Malarial infection, haemoglobin count and fever were earlier supplied.

Under the guidelines of the Government, the said medicines and equipments should be regularly supplied to all the PHSC.

Most startlingly it also came to light that most of the medicines which were found despatched to the PHSC, were nearing the expiry date, some as little as one or two months.

As such most of the medicines go to waste as patients do not turn up everyday and when they do turn up, the PHSCs are unable to administer the required medicines as most of them had expired.

With the onset of Summer and with water borne diseases on the rise, patients have to regularly approach the Chief Medical Officers concerned only to be told to approach the NRHM.

Again when the patients approach the NRHM they always receive the standard reply that the required medicines are not in stock and as such they are not in a position to supply the required medicines to the PHSC.

Sources informed The Sangai Express that the Government of India embarked on the NRHM as a flagship programme as health of the people is of paramount importance.

In line with this the Government of India launched the NRHM to deliver better health facilities with funds larger than the State Health Service, said sources and added that the funds come under different heads.

The primary duty of the NRHM is to allocate the funds under different sub-heads in time and enable the health care services to be delivered on time.

However in Manipur it is the reverse.

Stating that the NRHM is full of loopholes in the State, sources said that it has totally failed to release the funds under the different sub-heads on time, failed to procure medicines and other necessary items on time, failed to allot the necessary task to the State Health Directorate etc.

It is the rural people who have been at the receiving end of the pathetic performance of the NRHM, said sources further.

The arrival of NRHM has also had a profound impact on the functioning of the State Health Directorate.

Now doctors at the Health Directorate are more interested in infrastructural development rather than treating the patients.

On top of this more and more employees at the Health Directorate are retiring with no replacement in sight, depleting the man power, said sources.

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