The government has initiated 'star rating' of community health centres (CHCs) across the country to take corrective steps to strengthen health facilities, the Lok Sabha was informed today.
"The Health Ministry has initiated a star rating of CHCs in April 2015. Further it has been renamed as 'grading of CHCs' in June 2016.
"Grading of CHCs is based on monthly performance data and annual infrastructure data as uploaded on the Health Management Information System (HMIS) portal and is generated on quarterly basis," Minister of State for Health Faggan Singh Kulaste said in a written reply.
Elaborating on the system, he said in the category of human resource and infrastructure, if a CHC satisfies criteria like availability of separate public utilities for males and females, number of doctors, including specialists, is equal to or more than two, it would be put in grade 1.
Similarly in the category of drugs and supplies, if the CHC fulfills criteria like availability of two months supply of essential drugs, vaccines and contraceptives, it will get Grade 1.
"The grading of CHCs helps the programme managers to identity the gaps in the available infrastructure and service availability. It also helps taking necessary corrective steps to strengthen and upgrade health facilities," the minister said.
He said the government has put in place a system of incentives and disincentives in the review of Programme Implementation Plans of states and Union Territories on the above mentioned grades of CHCs both for urban and rural areas.
