People prefer private, not govt hospitals

Srikakulam: The fear among the people over safety and quality treatment at the government hospitals still persists, especially for deliveries as pregnant women still prefer private hospitals.

Though the government is providing facilities and financial aid under various schemes like NTR baby kit, Janani Suraksha Yojana, Pradhana Manthri Matrutwa Suraksha Abhiyaan (PMSA) and Thalli Bidda Express, they are not bringing qualitative change in the medical treatment provided for pregnant women and their family members regarding deliveries in government hospitals.

Even now, 45 per cent expectant mothers choose private hospitals for deliveries. Due to the negligence of doctors and scarcity of required staff at the government hospitals, pregnant women preferring private hospitals.

“In Srikakulam, there are 80 primary health centres (PHCs), 15 community health centres (CHCs), three area hospitals and a teaching hospital, RIMS. The government has fixed a target of at least five or ten deliveries per month at each PHC but at Etcherla, Thadivalasa, Kinthali, Dusi and Tilaru PHCs, not even a single case of delivery was reported in three months period.

Most of the PHCs are not reached even five cases per month. In 2017-18, 38,953 deliveries were reported, of them, 20, 787 were reported at government and 18,113 were recorded at private hospitals. In April, May this year, 6,799 deliveries were recorded, of them 3,541 were reported at government and 3,526 occurred at private hospitals.

“The attitude among people has been changing slowly towards government hospitals and our medical staff at the village level are tracking pregnant women continuously asking their kin to admit them to the government institutions for deliveries,” District Medical and Health Officer (DM&HO) Dr Sanapala Tirupati Rao said while speaking to The Hans India here on Friday.