Union health and family welfare minister Ghulam Nabi Azad today said that investments by the Centre in the health sector are focused on backward areas or among those with no access to healthcare due to difficult terrain, in order to ensure more equitable distribution of resources.
"It is necessary to ensure more equitable distribution of resources so that poor and marginalised people are provided greater attention in the matter of accessing health services", he said during a meeting here to review the progress of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) programmes in the four southern states and Union territories of Puducherry, Andaman and Nicobar islands and Lakshadweep.
He also urged state governments to focus on giving priority to the needy while taking up upgradation and strengthening of health infrastructure in their respective regions.
Referring to increased demand for specalists services, Azad said state health ministers should consider different options like posting medical postgraduate students to work in district hospitals, sub district hospitals and comunity health centres for a period of six months.
The minister also emphasised the need for inter-sectoral convergence between the health sector and schemes such as safe drinking water, sanitation, environment education and insitutions like local self government, saying that it would ensure a holistic approach towards health care.
