75 percent health mission funds not utilised in Himachal
April 14th, 2010 - 3:50 pm ICT by IANSShimla, April 14 (IANS) The Himachal Pradesh government has failed to utilise 75 percent of funds allocated under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in the last four years due to non-existence of 24-hour healthcare facilities, the Comptroller Auditor General of India (CAG) has said.
“Seventy five percent of the Rs.119.85 crore received from the central government in 2005-2009 under the NRHM remain unspent so far,” said the CAG in a report.
“Low utilisation of funds was due to non-provision of 24-hour healthcare facilities for the rural population. Acute shortage of manpower in all the health institutions has adversely affected the availability of healthcare services,” said the CAG.
The overall performance of the NHRM was not very satisfactory. “The review underscored glaring gaps in planning, implementation and monitoring activities,” it said.
According to the report, ill-equipped health institutions and shortage of doctors and paramedical staff were the reasons behind the poor implementation of the central government’s flagship scheme.
It said the state government had failed to ensure availability of general surgeons, obstetricians, gynaecologists, anaesthetists and paramedical staff, including nurses, at the upgraded first referral units, community health centres and primary health centres.
To overcome the shortage of doctors, the state government has increased the number of seats in two medical colleges in Shimla and Tanda in Kangra district from this session.
The government also has planned to set up medical colleges in Mandi, Hamirpur, Sirmaur and Una districts with private sector participation.
- Survey finds major glitches in rural health programme - Feb 25, 2010
- Cheaper drugs, better health services for poor (Second Lead) - Mar 16, 2012
- Azad asks States to set up more medical colleges - Jan 12, 2011
- Rural India is short of 16,000 doctors - Mar 09, 2011
- Punjab provides full advantage of national rural health mission to needy - Jan 26, 2010
- India needs 6,800 more hospitals, NRHM has many glitches: Survey (Lead) - Feb 25, 2010
- 'Irregularity in rural health fund spending in Uttar Pradesh' - Aug 09, 2011
- Government mulls course on rural healthcare - Apr 24, 2012
- Uttar Pradesh healthcare scam: Engineer shoots himself (Lead) - Jan 23, 2012
- Rahul Gandhi seeks details from UP Govt. over usage of heath funds - Apr 27, 2011
- NRHM gets higher allocation - Mar 16, 2012
- NRHM scam: CBI raids 60 places, ex-BSP minister under scanner (Lead) - Jan 04, 2012
- Health ministry wary of merging AIDS department with NRHM - May 03, 2012
- NRHM scam: CBI registers cases against two officials - Aug 04, 2011
- Health mission not implemented by states properly: CAG - Dec 18, 2009
Tags: acute shortage, auditor general, cag, community health centres, general surgeons, glaring gaps, gynaecologists, hamirpur, health institutions, healthcare facilities, himachal pradesh government, medical colleges, national rural health, national rural health mission, poor implementation, primary health, private sector participation, referral units, shimla, shortage of manpower