{"id":41509,"date":"2025-04-18T20:31:24","date_gmt":"2025-04-18T15:01:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=41509"},"modified":"2025-04-18T20:31:44","modified_gmt":"2025-04-18T15:01:44","slug":"primary-healthcare","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/18-04-2025\/primary-healthcare","title":{"rendered":"Making Primary Health Care Visible, Accessible, and Affordable"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In India, the government has been working to <strong>transform primary health care<\/strong> through innovative policies and programs, addressing challenges such as accessibility, affordability, and visibility.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>About the Primary Healthcare in India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>According to WHO, Primary Health Care (PHC) is a <strong>whole-of-society approach<\/strong> to effectively organize and strengthen national health systems to bring services for health and wellbeing closer to communities.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It aims to provide <strong>accessible, affordable, and comprehensive services<\/strong> to all citizens.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>It focuses on <strong>promotive, preventive, curative, rehabilitative, and palliative care<\/strong>, ensuring equitable access to essential health services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Alma-Ata Declaration of 1978<\/strong> identified PHC as essential health care based on scientifically sound and socially acceptable methods.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e5e9ea\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"376\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Alma-Ata-Declaration-of-1978.png\" alt=\"Alma Ata Declaration of 1978\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-41510\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e5e9ea; width:526px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Alma-Ata-Declaration-of-1978.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Alma-Ata-Declaration-of-1978-300x110.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2025\/04\/Alma-Ata-Declaration-of-1978-768x282.png 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Concerns in Primary Healthcare<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Urban vs. Rural Divide:<\/strong><strong>Urban slums<\/strong>, while geographically closer to tertiary care centers, still face issues of affordability and overcrowding.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Rural areas<\/strong> house over 65% of the population but suffer from shortage of PHCs and trained medical personnel, along with poor transport connectivity.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Human Resource Shortages (2023\u201324):<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Shortfall of 77% surgeons, 69% obstetricians, 70% physicians at Community Health Centres.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>10\u201325% staff nurse vacancies in many states.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Burden of NCDs and Mental Health:<\/strong> PHCs are now expected to manage lifestyle diseases and mental health concerns.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However, limited staff training and infrastructure often hinder effective response.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Key Government Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>National Health Mission:<\/strong> India has a vast network of <strong>Sub-Centres (SCs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs), and Community Health Centres (CHCs).<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>These facilities serve as the first point of contact for individuals seeking healthcare services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>According to the <strong>National Health Mission<\/strong>, there are 1.6 lakh sub-centres, 26,636 PHCs, and 6,155 CHCs across the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ayushman Bharat Program (2018):<\/strong> It aims to transform primary healthcare through <strong>Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs).<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>HWCs provide services related to non-communicable diseases, maternal and child health, mental health, and geriatric care.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC):<\/strong> The <strong>National Health Policy 2017<\/strong> emphasizes universal health coverage through CPHC.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>It integrates traditional medicine systems like <strong>Ayurveda, Yoga, Unani, Siddha, and Homeopathy (AYUSH)<\/strong> with modern healthcare.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Focus on Underserved Areas:<\/strong> Initiatives like the<strong> Aspirational District Program (ADP)<\/strong> and<strong> Aspirational Block Program (ABP) <\/strong>aim to improve healthcare in underdeveloped regions.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission (PM-ABHIM):<\/strong> It focuses on equipping India&#8217;s health system with the necessary infrastructure, with an outlay of \u20b964,180 crore.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Women Led Initiatives:<\/strong>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Role of Self Help Groups (SHGs):<\/strong> Over 1.9 crore women are empowered through SHGs that promote awareness on PHC services.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Global Initiatives<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Universal Health Coverage (UHC):<\/strong> It aims to ensure that all individuals have access to quality health services without financial hardship.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Scaling up primary healthcare interventions in low- and middle-income countries could save 60 million lives and increase average life expectancy by 3.7 years by 2030.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Global Health Programs:<\/strong> Programs like the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria focus on <strong>integrating primary healthcare<\/strong> with <strong>disease-specific interventions<\/strong>.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The <strong>Gavi Alliance<\/strong> supports immunization efforts, strengthening primary healthcare systems in developing countries.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Forward<\/strong>\u00a0\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Strengthening Infrastructure<\/strong>: Expanding the network of HWCs and ensuring their functionality in underserved areas is crucial.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Investments in telemedicine can bridge the gap between urban and rural healthcare access.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Enhancing Awareness:<\/strong> Community outreach programs and health education campaigns can improve visibility and utilization of health services.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Ensuring Affordability:<\/strong> Continued efforts to reduce out-of-pocket expenses and provide financial protection through schemes like PM-JAY are essential.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/sci-tech\/health\/making-primary-health-visible-offering-accessible-and-affordable-health-care\/article69456336.ece\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Source: TH<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<h3><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">In India, the government has been working to transform primary health care through innovative policies and programs, addressing challenges such as accessibility, affordability, and visibility.<\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<h3><strong>About the Primary Healthcare in India<\/strong><\/h3>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">According to WHO, Primary Health Care (PHC) is a whole-of-society approach to effectively organize and strengthen national health systems to bring services for health and wellbeing closer to communities.<\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\">It aims to provide accessible, affordable, and comprehensive services to all citizens.<\/li>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/18-04-2025\/primary-healthcare\" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-41509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41509"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41509\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":41547,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41509\/revisions\/41547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}