CAG audit unveils systemic failures: Unspent finances, vacant posts, incomplete tasks plague Maharashtra’s healthcare | Mumbai Information

The audit uncovered widespread workers scarcity, with a 27 per cent deficit of docs and a staggering 42 per cent vacant posts for specialised docs in district hospitals. Within the major and secondary healthcare sector below the Public Well being Division (PHD), the scarcity of docs, nurses and paramedical workers was 22 per cent, 35 per cent and 29 per cent respectively.

Tertiary care hospitals are faring even worse, with 57 per cent nursing positions and 44 per cent paramedical roles vacant. The report highlights how acute personnel scarcity leaves healthcare staff overburdened, and exacerbate inequities in entry to care, significantly in rural areas.

With respect to girls hospitals, the scarcity of docs, nurses and paramedical workers was 23 per cent, 19 per cent and 16 per cent respectively. “The scarcity of docs/specialists, nurses and paramedical workers below the jurisdiction of Medical Schooling and Medication Division (MEDD) was 37 per cent, 35 per cent and 44 per cent respectively. The general scarcity of docs, nurses and paramedics within the State below PHD and MEDD was 27 per cent, 35 per cent and 31 per cent respectively,” it stated.

The report additional stated that the scarcity of docs, nurses and paramedics and others in AYUSH schools and hospitals was 21 per cent, 57 per cent and 55 per cent respectively.

The trauma care centres below the jurisdiction of PHD and MEDD had 23 per cent and 44 per cent scarcity of workers respectively. Shortages in imparting trainings to docs, nurses and paramedics below PHD had been additionally flagged within the report.

“Authorities could refill the vacancies within the well being sector in a time-bound method to make sure optimum and qualitative supply of healthcare providers to public,” advisable the CAG even because it suggested to extend the sanctioned power of docs below the general public well being division.

The report additionally identified that the state authorities didn’t conduct hole evaluation for assessing the requirement of manpower in healthcare establishments as per Indian Public Well being Requirements. Solely 7 per cent of district hospitals meet these benchmarks for maternal and little one well being providers.

Emergency and diagnostic services stay grossly insufficient, with hospitals missing important imaging gear. Furthermore, 70 per cent of well being infrastructure tasks deliberate below 2013-2014 improvement scheme stay incomplete. A hospital price Rs 31.91-crore in Amravati, accomplished in 2015, has not been operational as a consequence of administrative delays, exemplifying inefficiencies of the system.

The audit additionally seen non-supply of apparatus, gear mendacity idle/non-commissioned and improper storage of medicine and medicines within the healthcare establishments. Between 2016 and 2022, the state’s major provider, Haffkine Bio-Pharmaceutical Company, did not ship 71 per cent of requested medicines and gear. Current medical provides had been typically improperly saved or maintained, rendering them ineffective.

The audit identified that the Medical Schooling and Medication Division was relying solely on the evaluation report of medicine and medicines offered by the provider with out guaranteeing impartial high quality management testing. Biomedical waste administration, a crucial facet of public well being, stays uncared for, with many healthcare services failing to adjust to disposal norms.

Funds meant for key well being programmes are additionally underutilised. Between 2016 and 2022, 76 per cent of the finances allotted to city well being missions and 50 per cent of funds for rural well being programmes remained unspent. Illness eradication initiatives, such because the Nationwide Tuberculosis Elimination Programme and the Nationwide Leprosy Eradication Programme, failed to fulfill their targets as a consequence of insufficient funding and ineffective implementation.

Emergency preparedness is one other weak space. Hospitals lack fundamental fireplace security gear, and no methods are in place to watch or enhance the effectivity of services throughout crises. The report criticized the failure to observe fireplace security norms throughout healthcare establishments, leaving sufferers and healthcare workers weak throughout emergencies. Even fundamental affected person wants, corresponding to tailor-made diets, are sometimes ignored, with irregular inspections of meals high quality in public hospitals.

To deal with these challenges, the CAG advisable filling workers vacancies via expedited recruitment processes and growing the well being finances to fulfill nationwide benchmarks. Infrastructure tasks must be accomplished with out additional delays, whereas regulatory our bodies should implement strict compliance with licencing necessities and biomedical waste administration guidelines. The report additionally urged the adoption of Scientific Institutions Act, 2010, to make sure uniform requirements for personal healthcare services.

Dr Rajesh Sharma, a public well being knowledgeable, described the findings as “a wake-up name for Maharashtra’s healthcare system.”

“The persistent gaps in staffing, infrastructure, and fund utilisation have left the system ill-equipped to deal with the rising well being calls for of the inhabitants. Addressing these points requires an pressing, multi-pronged method from each policymakers and directors,” stated Dr Sharma.