The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in Adilabad district of Andhra Pradesh seems to be taking the same path as that of Uttar Pradesh where corrupt officials and politicians have siphoned off funds meant for improving health infrastructure in the rural areas. Recently a District Medical Health Officer (DMHO) was caught for misappropriation of NRHM funds in the district.

According to the information from an NGO, it has been found that over the past few years every activity taken up under NRHM in the district has been moving on a snail pace or in some cases there is no progress at all. For instance a tank supplying drinking water which was taken up under the NRHM scheme has been under construction in a tribal village in Adilabad for the last 10 years. It still remains incomplete. The healthcare system and basic infrastructure facilities such as drinking water and sanitation are in pathetic condition in the rural and tribal areas leading to high infant and maternal mortality rates.

A member from the NGO says, “It is due to improper utilization of the money that the Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) and sub-centres still lack basic facilities in the district.”

For the year 2010-11 the central government had allocated Rs. 1,130 crores for improving health welfare of the poor in the rural villages of the state. Taking the advantage of loopholes in the scheme, the local politicians along with a nexus between RMPs, NRHM health workers, sarpanches, revenue officials and others are resorting to misappropriations and siphoning of funds meant for pregnant women.

There are no checks and controls on the lakhs of rupees allocated for each village every month. Diseases like malaria, diarrhoea, anaemia, conditions like low birth weight, malnutrition and water contamination continue unabated. Food security safe drinking water, sanitation and housing are in a bad shape.

“Many villagers and tribals aren’t even aware of the facilities that they are entitled to under NRHM. The programme isn’t functioning effectively as it lacks coordination and communication at various levels. The state level advisory committee also doesn’t function properly. Instead of touring and inspecting healthcare facilities, most of the DMHOs are sitting idle away at the respective district collector’s office,” said U Rao a member of an NGO.

The NRHM scheme which was launched by the central government to provide healthcare facilities in the country, has already been badly hit in Uttar Pradesh due to large scale corruption and huge amounts been siphoned off. So far more than Rs. 9,000-crore have been allocated to Uttar Pradesh.

The main aim of the NRHM scheme is to reduce the Infant Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Ratio by at least 50 per cent from existing levels in next seven years. It also aims at universalized access to public health services for Women’s health, child health, water, hygiene, sanitation and nutrition in every state of the country.

The scheme also focused to prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases, including locally endemic diseases along with population stabilization, gender and demographic balance and revitalization of local health traditions and mainstream AYUSH.