Archive · 6 Jun 2025
Survey: Many Indian Health Sub-Centers Lack Basic Care
Imagine health centers in small towns and villages, called sub-centers.
A study checked how well these centers help people with common problems like high blood pressure and diabetes.
The study found that many of these centers don't have the right medicines or supplies.
For example, they often ran out of important pills.
This is a problem because many people in India are getting these health issues, and they need easy access to medicine to stay healthy.
The government is trying to make these centers better so people can get the care they need closer to home.
A survey indicated that only about 40% of India's sub-centres (SCs) can effectively treat hypertension and diabetes.
Nearly one-third of the assessed SCs experienced stock-outs of metformin (anti-diabetes medication).
Almost half of the SCs reported stock-outs of amlodipine (for high blood pressure).
The median duration of medicine stock-outs ranged from one to seven months.
The study highlights the need to improve SC preparedness for primary care due to the spread of non-communicable diseases in rural areas.
- Who
- Researchers from ICMR and WHO conducted the survey.
- What
- A survey revealed that many sub-centres in India are not equipped to treat hypertension and diabetes.
- When
- The survey results were published in the latest issue of the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR).
- Where
- 19 districts across seven Indian states.
- Why
- To assess the preparedness of India's sub-centres (SCs) in managing basic medical conditions like hypertension and diabetes.
- Survey Conducted By
- ICMR and WHO
- Number of SCs Assessed
- 105
- Metformin Stock-out Rate
- Nearly one-third
- Amlodipine Stock-out Rate
- 45%
- Medicine Stock-out Duration
- 1-7 months (median)
- Primary focus
- Prepare Sub-Centers