Improving Rural Healthcare Infrastructure

As per the budget announcement 2017-18, 1,50,000 Health Sub Centres and Primary Health Centres are to be transformed into Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs) by December, 2022 to provide Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) to ensure health for all.

Under AB-HWCs, CPHC includes promotive, preventive, curative, palliative and rehabilitative services. The AB-HWCs are envisioned to provide an expanded range of services to include care for non-communicable diseases, palliative and rehabilitative care, Oral, Eye and ENT care, mental health and first level care for emergencies and trauma as well as health promotion and wellness activities like Yoga apart from services already being provided for Maternal and Child Health including immunization and communicable diseases. Free essential drugs and diagnostic services are also being provisioned through these HWCs.

As per Rural Health Statistics(RHS), 2018, as on 31.03.2018, there are 150 Community Health Centres (CHCs) and 1899 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in Bihar. State-wise details of shortfall in PHCs and CHCs is given below:

The State Government has intimated that a super specialty 100 bedded Mother & Child hospital (MCH) is being constructed in District Hospital, Muzaffarpur at an estimated cost of 13.5 Crores; the construction is already under way and is at finishing stage.

Proposals from the State have been invited for setting up of a 100 bedded Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (P-ICU) at Shri Krishna Medical College & Hospital, Muzaffarpur; five virology labs in different districts and 10 bedded Paediatric ICUs in other districts, to be supported under National Health Mission (NHM).

The Minister of State (Health and Family Welfare), ShAshwini Kumar Choubey stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha here today.