Cautioning the state governments against under-utilisation of funds on health projects, Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on Thursday asked all the state health ministers and state secretaries to closely monitor the financial progress and utilise funds effectively and expeditiously.
Azad, who chaired a two-day review meeting of state health ministers, said that the 12th Five Year Plan sets the goal of moving towards universal healthcare to provide quality healthcare to people living even in the remote parts of the country.
Azad said that the implementation of schemes rests with the states and it is essential for all the states to build their capacity for timely utilisation of the available funds.Pointing out that the 12th Plan accords priority to health sector, Azad also cautioned the governments that concerns have been expressed over their capacity to utilise the available resources.
Maintaining that the slow pace of the work towards creating health infrastructure is a major area of concern, Union Health Minister said that irrational deployment of doctors is another reason affecting functionality of the units. He said that the large number of vacancies in high focus districts are indicators of lack of proper infrastructure.
He asked the states to identify the existing gaps and formulate proposals for strengthening the district hospitals.