Maha Healthcare Revamp: Separate Directors for Primary and Hospital Services
Mumbai: The state government is preparing to overhaul the public health administration by creating two distinct Health Director posts, a step officials say is intended to enhance operational efficiency and accountability. The proposed restructuring will split primary healthcare functions from hospital-based services, marking a significant change in the governance of the healthcare system.
Senior Health Department officials said the revised framework is designed to simplify administrative control and enable quicker decisions. Under the proposed plan, one director will take charge of grassroots health delivery, including primary health centres, sub-centres, and essential services in both villages and cities, while another will handle the management of district, sub-district, and rural hospitals, along with major medical institutions across the state, reports Free Press Journal.
Authorities believe that clearly dividing responsibilities will ensure dedicated focus on preventive care as well as treatment-based services, ultimately improving patient outcomes. They maintain that well-defined roles and authority will help resolve persistent administrative bottlenecks and strengthen oversight throughout the healthcare network.
According to the Daily, currently, the Health Department runs 10,766 sub-centres and 1,939 primary health centres across the state. Moreover, 851 hospitals, including Unani, Ayurvedic, and other alternative medicine facilities, are also there. Primary health centres alone hold almost 13,516 beds. The department is responsible for handling 597 hospitals, including district, sub-district, rural, and speciality hospitals, which hold a bed capacity of 32,795. Hence, efficiently running the whole system needs a well-planned administrative restructuring.
However, healthcare experts and medical professionals have a difference of opinion regarding dividing the responsibility into two chains of command. Cautioning against such fragmentation of service, a section of doctors and public health specialists pointed out that the step can create problems in coordination between primary care facilities and higher-level hospitals. They further added that to ensure an effective healthcare delivery, an integrated referral system is a must.
Health Department hospitals cater to the needs of nearly 3.2 million outpatient load annually, while approximately 2.2 million inpatient care load. Government-run hospitals are responsible for performing almost 500,000 minor and major surgical procedures annually, reports the Daily. Hence, the doctors stated that unless all health-related services are integrated under a unified administrative framework, effective planning, unifying, and improving primary care and tertiary-level hospitals will not be possible. However, the government remains firm that the proposed separation will only be beneficial for the governance and ultimately increase the quality of public healthcare services across the state.
