Table 1.
Average filled/sanctioned positions for staff and IPHS requirement fulfilment for DHs and PHCs
| Designation | Average filled to sanctioned- DHs | Average filled to sanctioned- PHCs | % DHs fulfilling IPHS requirements | % PHCs fulfilling IPHS requirements |
| Medical officer | 52% (34) | 68% (190) | 53% (34) | 100% (190) |
| Staff nurse | 44% (33) | 42% (48) | 15% (33)* | – |
| Auxiliary nurse midwife | 78% (24) | 81% (173) | 42% (173) | |
| Laboratory technician | 35% (32) | 27% (148) | 0% (32) | 27% (148) |
| Compounder/pharmacist | 56% (32) | 63% (171) | 16% (32) | 70% (171) |
| Storekeeper | 58% (28) | 57% (101) | 61% (28) | 57% (101) |
Only permanent positions are considered. Cases where information on sanctioned positions was missing were excluded. Medical officers include physicians, obstetricians, paediatricians and anaesthetists. PHC IPHS guidelines mention to appoint at least four nurse- midwives. We consider at least four ANMs for each facility since the information for staff nurse is unavailable for most facilities.
*DH IPHS guidelines mention the requirement for staff nurse/ANM combined and hence we consider the combined availability of staff nurse and ANM.
ANM, auxiliary nurse midwife; DHs, district hospitals; IPHS, Indian public health standard; PHCs, primary health centres.