The first survey on the Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) in Haryana pointed out gaps in service delivery as at some places in absence of Medical Officers (MOs) the pharmacists or staff nurses or Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANMs) were found prescribing medicines, while there were centres where drug procurement and dispensing had become difficult in absence of pharmacists.
To ensure delivery of the Comprehensive Primary Health Care (CPHC) services, existing sub-centres covering a population of three to five thousand were converted into Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) in 2019, with the principle being “time to care” to be no more than 30 minutes. Primary Health Centres in rural and urban areas were also converted to HWCs.
The Population Research Centre (PRC) at the Centre for Research in Rural and Industrial Development (CRRID), Chandigarh, carried out the assessment of 20 HWCs in four districts of the state-Kaithal, Yamunanagar, Ambala and Fatehabad during the period of January to March.
Prof Aswini Kumar Nanda and Associate Prof Rajesh Kumar Aggarwal of CRRID carried out the survey on the behalf of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
The study found that many HWCs were without a full-time MO. The part-time MOs are unable to meet the demands of patient load and community outreach programmes. There was an increasing demand among the public for the availability of medical officer at the facility for better diagnosis and treatment, said the survey findings.
It came out that in spite of the rising demand for diagnostic tests at the HWCs, most of them (Primary Health Centres /Urban Primary Health Centres) were without regular laboratory technicians. The arrangement of part-time laboratory technicians did not fully meet the day-to-day demand of visiting clients. At some places, with only one ANM, Mid-level Health Provider (MLHP) expressed a desire for a helper to facilitate the services.
