Karnataka must raise health spending, fill vacancies and expand facilities, says report on assessment of public health facilities

A preliminary assessment of public healthcare facilities in Karnataka called for higher budget allocation, filling of vacancies and expansion of infrastructure in underserved areas.

The report, prepared by Health for All Forum – Karnataka using data obtained under the Right to Information Act, 2005, reviews the status of health sub-centres (HSCs), primary health centers (PHCs), community health centers (CHCs) and general hospitals in selected districts.

Basic recommendations

The report urged the State government to increase health expenditure to 10% of the total Budget, strengthen primary healthcare and approve new facilities based on Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS) norms and updated population estimates.

He suggested a State-wide recruitment drive to fill all approved positions on a permanent basis and reduce reliance on contractual appointments.

The recommendations are placed in the context of the Karnataka State Integrated Health Policy, which envisages higher public expenditure and equitable access to quality healthcare.

Increasing burden of disease

The evaluation noted that there has been an increase in both communicable and non-communicable diseases in recent years, and stated that the number of hypertension cases treated in public facilities in Yadgir district has more than doubled between 2021-22 and 2024-25. During the same period, diabetes cases increased by over 50%.

Citing data from the National Family Health Survey (2019-20), the report said 14.8% of women and 17.2% of men in Karnataka had mildly high blood pressure, above the national average.

infrastructure gaps

In the evaluation based on IPHS norms, infrastructure deficiencies were identified across the districts.

For example, only 53.4% ​​of the subcentres studied operated from their own premises, with the remainder operating from rented or other premises. Deficiencies were also noted in PHCs and CHCs.

Open positions and increased workload

Vacancies were reported across levels. In the 12 general hospitals studied, 45.6% of posts were vacant in 2024-25. In 12 CHCs, 42.6% of the posts were vacant. 30.4% of the approved positions in 49 PHCs remained vacant.

More than half of the primary care centers studied had no medical staff, and more than 41% had no nursing staff. At the sub-central level, 5.5% of centers are unstaffed.

Budget trends

The highest health allocation between 2013-14 and 2023-24 is 5.78% of the total State Budget in 2021-22, which is below the level specified in the Karnataka State Integrated Health Policy, the report said.

He also noted that an increasing share of the health budget is spent on government-backed insurance programs, limiting the scope for expanding public infrastructure.