Better health care to rural people largely unfulfilled: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) has said that the aim of ensuring better health care to rural people through NRHM has remained "largely unfulfilled" in Odisha.
"The objectives of the mission to provide affordable, reliable and quality health care to the rural population sought to be achieved through NRHM remained largely unfulfilled," said the CAG report on General and Social Sector for the year ended March 2013.
Stating that planning was deficient due to non-preparation of perspective plans and annual action plans at state, district and block level, it said District Health Action Plan was prepared for only four out of 30 districts.

Delay in formation of Gaon Kalyan Samiti (GKS) led to short receipt of government of India assistance of Rs 18.52 crore, said the CAG report tabled in Odisha assembly today.
There were delays in release of Central instalments upto 157 days due to delay in submission of Project Implementation Plan (PIP) by the state, it said adding spending efficiency at state level ranged between 36 and 66 per cent of funds available during 2007-13.
State health care spending remained below three per cent of total budget against prescribed eight per cent due to less allocation by the state, the CAG report said.

The report pointed out that all types of essential drugs were not available in sampled DHHs, CHCs and PHCs. "Drugs of Not of Standard Quality (NSQ0 of Rs 5.80 lakh and Life Expired drugs of Rs 0.74 lakh were administered to patients," it said.

Though maternal mortality rate was reduced from 303 in 2007-08 to 237 in 2011-12, yet the same was above the national average. Similarly, infant mortality rate was reduced from 71 to 57 against the national average of 55 to 44 during 2007-12, the CAG report said.
Despite increasing trend of institutional deliveries in the state, position was not satisfactory in Koraput, Nabarangpur and Kalahandi districts where it remained between 13 and 64 per cent, it said.

Delivery of health care was affected due to absence of required health institutions as per Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) norms, it said adding there were shortages of 3284 SHCs (33 per cent) and 370 PHCs (23 per cent), it said.