VIJAYAWADA: In a major policy shift aimed at driving accountability and qualitative healthcare delivery in rural Andhra Pradesh, the State government has scrapped the traditional volume-based ranking system for Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in favour of a comprehensive outcome-based performance grading mechanism.
Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav stated that PHCs will no longer be evaluated solely on aggregate volume metrics, such as outpatient footfalls, diagnostic test counts, and overall delivery numbers.
Instead, performance will be strictly measured across 21 Key Performance Indicators evaluating tangible health outcomes, community coverage, and direct patient satisfaction.
The reform aims to align primary healthcare with state initiatives like Sanjeevani, Mathrutva, and Kshema to make the grassroots medical system outcome-driven and accountable.
The new PHC grading system gives priority to maternal and child health outcomes, including reducing mortality, preventing unnecessary C-sections, tracking high-risk pregnancies, and monitoring whether referred children receive complete treatment.
For non-communicable diseases, evaluation will focus on continuous management of hypertension and diabetes and early screening and referral protocols for common cancers.
According to Health Commissioner G Veerapandian, each of the 21 parameters will carry up to one point, and the total score will be converted into a percentage.
Based on monthly results, PHCs will be classified into four tiers: Grade A (80% to 100%), Grade B (70% to under 80%), Grade C (60% to under 70%), and Grade D (below 60%). Implementation has commenced, enabling department to pinpoint lagging facilities and rectify operational gaps.