(MENAFN- AsiaNet News) A recent self-assessment exercise conducted by the Indian government has revealed alarming findings about the state of public health facilities across the country. According to data gathered under the National Health Mission (NHM), nearly 80% of these facilities fail to meet the minimum essential standards mandated by the government for infrastructure, manpower, equipment, and other critical benchmarks.

Covering over two lakh public healthcare facilities, including district hospitals, sub-district hospitals, community health centers, primary health centers, and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs (formerly sub health centers), the NHM aims to ensure quality healthcare delivery nationwide.

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However, only a fraction of these facilities participated in the assessment, with 40,451 providing crucial statistics through the Open Data Kit, a digital tool developed by the Ministry of Health.

Out of those assessed, a mere 20%-approximately 8,089 facilities-achieved a score of 80% or higher, qualifying them as IPHS (Indian Public Health Standards) compliant. This indicates that these facilities possess the necessary infrastructure, human resources, medications, diagnostics, and equipment required to deliver essential healthcare services effectively.

Disturbingly, 17,190 facilities (42%) scored below 50%, signaling significant deficiencies in critical areas. The remaining 15,172 facilities scored between 50% to 80%, indicating moderate adherence to IPHS standards.

The Ministry of Health has made these findings public on the IPHS dashboard, stressing the importance of real-time monitoring to ensure facilities maintain adequate standards.

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A senior official highlighted ongoing efforts to make 70,000 health institutions IPHS compliant within the first 100 days of the new government's formation.

"The self-assessment exercise serves as a critical first step in identifying gaps and urging states/UTs to address them with full support from the Centre," explained the official. Future plans include surprise inspections to verify compliance claims against IPHS benchmarks.

While IPHS evaluates basic services, facilities are also assessed under National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS) for best practices such as medicine availability, equipment maintenance, waste management, infection control, support services, and patient rights. Physical assessments will continue for higher-level facilities, while virtual assessments are introduced for Ayushman Arogya Mandirs.

Under the NHM, the Centre covers 60% of public health facility expenditures, with states funding the remaining 40%.

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