The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Funds grossly inadequate for PHCs

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Thursday, Sep 27, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Funds grossly inadequate for PHCs

S. Harpal Singh

‘Anaemia cause of tribals’ death in August-Sept.’

Some succour: Mosquito nets being disbursed to tribals of Lendiguda village in Jainoor mandal of Adilabad district as part of Indira Kranti Patham on Wednesday.

JAINOOR (ADILABAD DT.) Prevalence of anaemia among an estimated 30 to 40 per cent of tribals and inadequate funding for purchase of required medicines at primary health centre (PHC) level should have become a major cause of concern for the government by now. Some 30 deaths that occurred in August and September mainly in the agency mandals of Jainoor, Sirpur (U) and Utnoor are being attributed to these reasons by doctors, though clinical symptoms exhibited by patients were chiefly either of viral fever or diarrhoea.

Deadly combination

“Anaemia and fever is a deadly combination, literally. Treating anaemic patients for viral fevers becomes much more difficult because of their low resistance power.

What we actually need is increased supply of iron and folic acid tablets to take care of anaemia first,” says Ashok Praveen and J. Tirupati Rao, Medical Officers at Jainoor PHC. This PHC is also a classic example of how ‘injudicious’ allocation of funds for PHCs to purchase medicines can affect its functioning.

On an average, about 200 out patients visit the Jainoor PHC every day during this epidemic season. A sum of Rs. 35,000 that is allocated to the PHC for purchase of medicines every quarter is grossly inadequate. Besides, the given method of purchase of medicines does not leave any scope for officials to buy need-based drugs like those that cure anaemia. The allocation seems injudicious considering that the same amount is given to some other PHCs that do not handle even 50 in patients per day. There is apparently a dire need for apportioning the funds based on the needs of the PHC.

The Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA), Utnoor, has taken up a campaign to cause awareness among tribals on the need for better sanitation. In Hasnapur village in Utnoor mandal, 50 persons were affected by diarrhoea on Tuesday and doctors found, like in all epidemic cases, bad sanitation to be the culprit.

The ITDA has also identified high risk villages like the 36 in Jainoor mandal where mosquito nets are being disbursed.

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