Improving Public Health Care in India through Urban Primary Health Centres-Trends, Progress and Concerns

Abstract

Focus of primary health care always stood over rural health, as a result the attention on health needs of the urban deprived is constantly marginalised. Rapid urbanization imparted a serious concern over urban health and to address the health concerns of the urban poor, Government of India launched National Urban Health Mission. NUHM envisages service delivery through a network of Urban Primary Health Centres and serve the health needs of poor and vulnerable in the urban area. The implementation of the Mission and UPHC sensured a systematic representation of urban health needs of the deprived. However the activities of the urban health centres in most of the Indian states lacks adequate support, makes a barrier in their effective service delivery. Proper governance and allocation of resources is the urgent need of the hour to empower the functioning of the urban health care system in the country.