MEDICAL AND PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICES

PRIMARY HEALTH CENTRES

The general aim of the health programme is to expand the existing health services, to bring them increasingly within the reach of all the people, and to promote progressive improvement in the level of national health. In 1959 there were three Primary Health Centres, one each at Mohol, Karmala and Kurduwadi. The centres at Mohol and Karmala served a population of 60 thousand each. There were two combined medical and public health units at Natepute in Malshiras taluka and Kole in Sangola taluka. Six villages are served by the Natepute unit and seven by the Kole unit. The centres provide medical, maternity and child welfare services. In 1961-62 there were seven primary health centres in Sholapur district, located at Mohol, Karmala, Kurduwadi, Pangri, Vairag, Gadegaon and Mandrup. Besides there were two Primary Health Units, one at Natepute and other at Kole. These units mainly envisage the integration of curative and preventive health services in rural areas. There were 24 sub-centres in the district during the same period. These were affiliated to Primary Health Centres.

The Medical Officer is in over-all charge of the Primary Health Centre and is responsible for providing both curative and preventive services to the people in the community development blocks. He is under the technical and administrative control of the District Health Officer. The Health Visitor or Nurse-Midwife works under the Medical Officer in charge of the Primary Health Centre. He supervises the work of midwives, conducts ante-natal and post-natal clinics, and also takes active part in health propaganda. The Sanitary Inspector visits villages included in the Block, attends to environmental sanitation and carries out vaccinations, disinfection of water-supplies, inspection of sites, checking of vital statistics, propagation of suitable types of latrines and urinals, health propaganda etc.

There were 22 Zilla Parishad dispensaries during 1968-69 in the rural areas of Sholapur district. The following statement shows the block-wise information regarding the Zilla Parishad Dispensaries, Subsidised Medical Practitioner Centres and Maternity and Child Health Centres in Sholapur district: —

In the year 1968-69 there were fifteen primary health centres working in the district. They covered 684 villages. The number of sub-centres working under the control of the primary health centres was 49. Besides these, there were two health units serving the population in 72 villages.

The number of primary health centres during the year 1972 was 16, their taluka-wise distribution being: Sholapur North, Sholapur South, Mohol, Mangalwedha, Pandharpur and Madha one each; and Barshi, Akkalkot, Sangola, Malshiras and Karmala two each.

The expenditure incurred during the period 1969-70 to 1972-73 on the primary health centres amounted to Rs. 1.33 lakhs.

Under the minimum needs programme it is proposed to establish one primary health centre supported by eight to ten sub-centres for a population of 80,000. At present there are sixteen primary health centres with 54 sub-centres in the district. In pursuance of the policy of minimum needs programme, it is proposed to establish five additional primary health centres and forty sub-centres for which a provision of Rs. 16.50 lakhs has been made in the District Plan. According to the new norm the entire rural population would be covered.

At present six beds have been provided for each of the primary health centres. It is proposed to increase the bed-strength of two primary health centres to 30. A provision of Rs. 21.60 lakhs has been made for this purpose.

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