300 health centres for 215 mln urban poor require by 2020

New Delhi, Feb 23 (UNI) Despite claims by the government of unprecedented growth in healthcare facilities, about 300 urban health and family welfare centres per year are needed to be set up to cater to the 215 million urban poor population by 2020, an industry chamber said here today.

In a paper brought out by the industry chamber Assocham on 'Delivery of Healthcare to Urban poor', said basic healthcare facilities in urban India continue to be dismally alarming, as 180 million urban poor access only to 1,083 urban family welfare centres to diagnose their ailments and diseases.

These centres will require a qualified medical and nursing staff of about 20,000 to effectively serve and treat the urban poor for their medical ailments.

It said in urban areas these 1,083 urban family welfare centres are meant to take care of 2,60,000 urban patients while their effective serving rate comes out to be 60,000 patients only.

According to the chamber's analysis, about 30 per cent of urban dwellers are poor and that urban poverty contributes to about 25 per cent of total poverty in India. This population is growing at twice with the pace of the rest of the population.

The paper also revealed that due to urban migration and massive inflow of population to the towns and cities, the health status of urban poor and slum dwellers is dismal compared to rural population.

There is either a non-availability or at times under-utilisation of available primary health care facilities and consequent over-crowding at the secondary and tertiary care centres, it said.

''The other reasons include that urban slums are not obtaining their adequate healthcare facilities in private and other nursing homes mainly on account of their high cost health services, said Assocham President Venugopal N Dhoot.

The growth of urban population is higher than in rural years.

India is home to about 300 million urban population. Rapid urbanisation has resulted in a concomitance increase to the number of people residing in the slums under appalling living conditions.

The body suggested that the government should enhance its allocations towards health services to at least of Rs 6,000 lakhs in next few years to meet the essential healthcare facilities with adequate infrastructure to urban poor and slum dwellers.

Mr Dhoot added the Finance Minister should at least make a beginning to this effect in his budget proposals for allocation in healthcare segment for fiscal 2007-08.

According to Assocham, big pharma companies like Nicholas Piramal, Pfizer, Sandoz, Elder Pharmaceuticals, Shalaks Pharma, etc, can supply medicines and other essential items at concessional rates in these urban healthcare centres.

UNI