India needs 6,800 more hospitals in rural areas

India needs  6,800 more hospitals in rural areas to provide basic health facilities to its common people.  

"There is still a shortage of 4,477 primary healthcare centres and 2,337 community healthcare centres.

The survey said: "Village level health and sanitation committees were still to be constituted in nine states".

Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee on Friday proposed to hike the spending on public healthcare to Rs 22,300 crore, up 14% from last year. Besides, health insurance has also been extended to more than 20% of the Indian population covered by the NREGA (National Rural employment Guarantee Act) program.

But the  annual survey presented in parliament said: "Almost 29 percent of the existing health infrastructure is in rented buildings. Poor upkeep and maintenance, and high absenteeism of manpower in the rural areas are the main problems in the health delivery system."

"Basic facilities were still absent in many health centres with many PHCs (primary health centres) and CHCs (community health centres) being unable to provide guaranteed service such as in-patient services, operation theatres, labour rooms, pathological tests, X-ray facilities and emergency care."

The survey also said that the infant mortality rate is expected to reach 30 per every 100,000 live births against the current level of 53 by 2012.