The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has issued a notice to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on the alleged lack of adequate healthcare facilities and vacancies in doctors’ posts in government-run hospitals across Odisha.

The apex rights panel taking cognizance of a petition filed by human rights lawyer Radhakanta Tripathy sought for an action taken report within the next four weeks.

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The Primary Health Centres, Community Health Centres and the District headquarters hospitals in Odisha are besieged with plethora of problems, the petition stated Tripathy pointing out the plight of common men on account of improper functioning of Primary Health Centers and Community Health Centers across Odisha and other States of the country.

There is lack of proper health infrastructure, poor health care or lack of adequate staff including doctors and paramedics, the petition stated seeking the Government to ensure basic human rights by ensuring proper health care, adequate infrastructure and staffs at all PHC, CHC and District Head quarter hospitals with compulsory attendance of staff ensured through electronic mode, effective measures for stopping private practice of serving doctors

PHC remains the cornerstone in a strong healthcare system worldwide and the rich countries have worked on improving it and now reaping the benefits. An integrated pathway connecting the PHC, CHC, District Hospital and tertiary medical college hospital is necessary, the petitioner Tripathy contended.

Inadequate access to essential healthcare services in the northeast region of India, which comprises of border-states such as Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Manipur, Nagaland, Tripura, Sikkim, and Arunachal Pradesh, is an issue of concern and underlines the urgency of the need for a robust primary healthcare system in the region.

There is a 46 per cent shortage of PHCs, and 83 per cent shortage of CHCs, according to a Lok Sabha reply on 12 March 2021. As many as 887 community health centres are required in Bihar while only 150 are in place.

In Himachal Pradesh though there are hospitals in Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti, ICU beds are not available there. The health care system in the entire State has been discussed in Davinder Sharma And Another vs State Of Himachal Pradesh on 26 September, 2020 with High Court directives but the State has not yet done the needful.

In West Bengal, health care for the residents of Sunderbans, which is home to close to 5 million people, has been battered by four tropical cyclones and is in very bad shape, the petition concluded.