600 PHCs for 12,000 gram panchayats in Telangana, IMA calls rural health system unsustainable

The Indian Medical Association (IMA) Telangana has warned that the State’s rural healthcare system is on the verge of collapse, with only 600 primary health centres (PHCs) catering to more than 12,000 gram panchayats. The severe shortage of qualified medical professionals in villages and mandals has left residents dependent on unqualified practitioners and unscientific treatment methods, posing a serious threat to public health, it added.

In a memorandum submitted to Governor Jishnu Dev Varma, representatives of IMA Telangana explained the effectiveness of the Kerala healthcare model, where nearly 99% of gram panchayats are linked to PHCs that provide 24/7 services, including deliveries and surgeries. In addition, Kerala’s community health centres (CHCs) function as 100-bed hospitals equipped with specialists at every mandal headquarters. Telangana, by contrast, lacks comparable infrastructure or staffing, it noted.

“The absence of adequate medical facilities in rural areas has led to the unchecked spread of quackery and unscientific practices. This has also forced the public to spend a major portion of their income on private healthcare,” president of IMA Telangana Dwarakanatha Reddy said.

The association expressed concern that despite the rapid expansion of medical education in Telangana, with 66 medical colleges, both government and private, now operating across the State, the services of qualified professionals are not being fully utilised. “Each year, around 9,000 doctors, 6,000 specialists and 3,000 super-specialists graduate, but their expertise is not reaching the people who need it most,” said Dr Reddy.

IMA Telangana further drew attention to the proliferation of superstition-based treatments and religious practices that continue to exploit poor and illiterate communities. “Age-old methods such as pasarla vydyam, katla vydyam and various mantras and tanthras are still prevalent in several villages,” the association said, warning that such practices cause harm under the guise of faith and tradition.