Care and Dare
The state upholds its primacy in public healthcare while greater disbursal of loans indicates growing entrepreneurship
Puducherry has regularly stayed ahead of other states, including the large ones, when it comes to most health indicators. Its infant mortality rate is 10 per 1,000 live births as against the national average of 34. Almost 100 per cent of births take place in healthcare facilities and 91.3 per cent of children are immunised.
The credit goes to the priority healthcare has got over the years—from higher spends to building quality infrastructure to making government facilities easily accessible. The state spends 1.8 per cent of its gross state domestic product on health, compared with 1.3 per cent across the country. The state spent 7.5 per cent of its budget outlay for 2018-19 on healthcare. While India’s per capita expenditure on health is Rs 1,397 per individual, Puducherry spends more than double, Rs 3,340. The state has the highest number of registered allopathic doctors per 100,000 people, 56, and the highest number of beds per government hospital, 254, among all the states.
For a population of 1.24 million, the state has two government medical college and seven private medical colleges offering around 1,000 undergraduate seats for doctors and over 700 seats for nursing courses. Instead of 24 medical officers required as per the Indian Public Health Standards issued under the National Rural Health Mission, the state has 48. Instead of 54 female health workers as required, there are 109.
In the National Health Index published in 2019, the state’s overall rank jumped from fifth to fourth among all states. The government’s focus on quality hospitals has brought several recognitions to the state. In the ‘Mera Aspataal’ ranking launched by the Union health ministry, the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER), was ranked No. 1. The ‘Mera Aspataal’ initiative was launched in 2016 to capture patient feedback for services received at hospitals. It has also been adjudged as the second-cleanest central government hospital in the country, next only to Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).
In this year’s budget, Chief Minister V. Narayanasamy has proposed several
new initiatives to improve the healthcare delivery system. A comprehensive Health Information Management System has been mooted to ensure targeted delivery of healthcare to people. All 40 primary healthcare centres and 81 sub-centres in Puducherry are being upgraded as health wellness centres under central assistance of Rs 13.1 crore. Telemedicine links will be established at the government hospitals to give rural patients access to expert consultation.
The state government’s efforts in building entrepreneurship is reflected in the disbursal of Mudra Bank credits—at Rs 38.9 lakh per thousand people, it is the highest in the country. Total loan amounts disbursed increased to Rs 1,223 crore in 2018-19, from Rs 485.49 crore in 2016-17. ■