Primary Health Centres (PHCs) are state-run rural clinics in India that are usually single-doctor facilities providing minor surgeries. PHCs focus on programs like immunization, birth control, and maternal/child care. They also provide medical care, family planning services, disease prevention/control, and health education. However, the current state of PHCs is poor - there is a shortage of doctors, corruption in the system, an emphasis on cure over care, and maldistribution of resources. Reforms are needed to improve access to quality primary healthcare in India, including making care available, appropriate, and affordable for rural communities. Mobile technology shows potential to enhance healthcare access in remote rural areas through improved doctor-patient

1. Universalizing Access To Quality Primary
Healthcare
HEALING TOUCH
• Abhishek Kumar
• Mayank Garg
• Raghav Aggarwal
• Rishabh Tripathi
• Shivam Mittal
Team: The INVINCIBLES

2. Primary Health Centre (PHCs) are state owned rural health care facilities
in India. They are essentially single-physician clinics usually with facilities for
minor surgeries. PHCs are part of the government-funded public health system
in India. Presently there are 23,109 PHCs in India.
What Are Primary Health Centers?
Apart from the regular medical
treatments and minor surgeries, PHCs in
India have some special focuses like:
 Infant Immunization Programs.
 Anti-epidemic Programs.
 Birth Control Programs.
 Pregnancy and related care.
 Emergencies.
Focus
 Provision of medical care.
 Maternal-child health including family
planning.
 Safe water supply and basic sanitation.
 Prevention and control of locally
endemic diseases.
 Collection and reporting of vital data.
 Education about health.
 National health programmes.
 Training of health guides, health
workers and assistants.
Functions

3. CURRENT SCENARIO OF PRIMARY HEALTH CARE
The health of many living in our rural areas rests precariously in the
hands of doctors who do not exist.
Indian government has setup many centres at
different levels like Sub Centres, Primary
Centres and Community Centres. But
corruption at each level destroyed the whole
system.
 The adoption of the Western model of
medical services has resulted in emphasis on
“cure” rather than “care”.
 Another problem is Maldistribution.
 Overemphasis on medical education has
resulted in the relative neglect of
development of health manpower for
nursing, environmental engineering, and
other technical and paramedical personnel.

4. States Sub
centres
Primary
health
centres
Community
health
centres
Delhi 41 8 0
Gujarat 7,274 1,123 305
Haryana 2,508 444 107
Madhya Pradesh 8,869 1,156 333
Uttar Pradesh 20,521 3,692 515
Punjab 2,950 446 129
Rajasthan 11,487 1,517 376
Andhra Pradesh 12,522 1,624 281
Meghalaya 405 109 29
Table 1: showing the status of health centres in some states.
 Many areas in India require
urgent attention from the
government.
 Table 1 shows the condition
of some states which is very
pitiful.
 The data suggests that our
healthcare system is very far
away from the required.
 Thus, reforms are necessary
in our system to improve
the quality of healthcare
facilities.

5. Truly “accessible”
health care means
three basic things:
Care is available.
People are diagnosed and treated promptly, and can obtain
quality preventive care early enough to avoid illness or
complications. Services are offered within a reasonable
distance from where people live.
Care is appropriate.
The right mix of health care professionals exists to attend to
people’s most frequent needs. Cultural and linguistic
barriers are addressed in such a way that patients get
proper diagnoses and can communicate effectively with
their providers.
Care is affordable.
Basic health insurance coverage, the linchpin of accessibility
in the U.S. system, is provided for all. Additional, out-of-
pocket costs are adjusted for those with low incomes.
What Makes A Health Care System Ideal?
Indian health care
system is neither
healthy, caring,
nor a system.
We don't have a
health care
system, we have a
sick care system.

6. Providing healthcare services in rural India
Innovative application of mobile technology
Mobile technology stands out as more robust and
sustainable option in remote rural villages in India, with the
increasing penetration and rising transmission capabilities of
mobile networks. Healthcare applications of mobile phones
are steadily gaining popularity over last few years. With the
increasing penetration of mobile networks in remote rural
villages in India, mobile phones are becoming an important
tool for enhancing doctor-patient communication.
Appropriate system design is desirable in order to integrate
or retrofit with ongoing public and private initiatives, making
it financially feasible, locally affordable and sustainable. To
be effective the system has to be easily usable by a semi
literate person, enable 2-way, comprehensive clinical
information transfer which is valid and useful for clinical
decision making.

7. •Primary health care The “first” level of contact between the individual
and the health system. Essential health care (PHC) is provided. A
majority of prevailing health problems can be satisfactorily managed.
• Secondary health care More complex problems are dealt with.
Comprises curative services Provided by the district hospitals The 1st
referral level Tertiary health care Offers super-specialist care Provided by
regional/central level institution.
•Provide training programs Primary health care The “first” level of
contact between the individual and the health system. Essential health
care (PHC) is provided.
•A majority of prevailing health problems can be satisfactorily managed.
The closest to the people. Provided by the primary health centers.
Secondary health care More complex problems are dealt with.
•Comprises curative services Provided by the district hospitals The 1st
referral level Tertiary health care Offers super-specialist care Provided by
regional/central level institution. Provide training programs
Proposed Solution

8. The health personnel should be properly trained
with a view to strengthen their knowledge and
skills in properly educating and motivating the
prospective users, and to develop in themselves
a proper attitude and faith in the programme.
The health personnel should be properly trained
with a view to strengthen their knowledge and
skills in properly educating and motivating the
prospective users, and to develop in themselves
a proper attitude and faith in the programme

9. REFERNCES
 http://12thplan.gov.in/
 https://nrhm-mis.nic.in/
 http://www.who.int/countries/ind/en/