Critical facilities, number of specialists fall short of norms

BENGALURU: Critical facilities such as blood banks and storage units, intensive care units, dialysis and trauma care, are still lacking, and not in line with Indian Public Health Standards or other national norms in most government secondary and tertiary care facilities. This is especially true in North Karnataka, the Karnataka Public Health Policy 2017 recommended by the Karnataka Knowledge Commission has said.
The shortage in the number of specialists has gone up from 32% to 39%. The distribution of health workers is highly skewed in favour of urban areas and the private sector. Also, vulnerable communities continue to have poor access to health services. The commission noted that in line with infrastructural issues, variation in services can be seen across the state. For instance, institutional delivery rates vary from 98.9% in Udupi to 70.8% in Koppal.