Rural India is facing a severe shortage of specialist doctors

Health: According to the Rural Health Statistics report released by the Health Ministry, India is facing a shortage of 76.1 percent of specialist doctors at community health centres (CHC) in rural areas.

The CHCs are 30-bed hospitals and are considered to be an essential part of the country’s rural health care system. Each CHC covers four primary health centres, with specialised services and four medical specialists—a surgeon, physician, paediatrician, and obstetrician/gynaecologist.

“As compared to the requirement for existing infrastructure, there is a shortfall of 78.9 percent of surgeons, 69.7 percent of obstetricians and gynaecologists, 78.2 percent of physicians, and 78.2 percent of paediatricians,” the report states.

In the case of physicians at CHCs in rural areas, there is a shortfall of 3,331 against the requirement of 5,183 doctors. The five states with maximum shortfall under this category are Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha, and Tamil Nadu. For surgeons, the shortfall stands at 4,087 against the requirement of 5,183 with Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and Odisha registering the maximum gap.

The number of CHCs in rural areas has increased from 3,881 in 2019 to 4,857 in 2020—an increase of 27.7 percent, despite the overall shortage of specialists.

The report also draws attention to the two percent shortfall in the posts of female health workers as on March 31, 2020.

Read about how India can achieve universal healthcare.

Fundraising & Communications: The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has issued a circular extending the validity of FCRA registration certificates to September 30th, 2021. This applies to all FCRA licences that have expired or will expire between September 29th, 2020 and May 31st, 2021. The decision to extend the deadline has been driven by the exigencies arising from the COVID-19 situation.

FCRA refers to the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act 2010, which permits charitable organisations based in India to raise funds from foreign sources.

The order also clarified that nonprofits that have already opened an account and have the requisite permission to receive foreign aid, can henceforth receive it only in these newly-opened accounts.

The FCRA law was amended in September 2020 to include a clause that mandated that all nonprofits receiving foreign aid must necessarily open an account in State Bank of India’s New Delhi Main Branch. The government had initially set the deadline for this account opening as March 31st, 2021; it later extended it to June 30th, 2021 after several nonprofits argued in court that there had been delays because necessary approvals from MHA had not been received.

Several organisations have not been able to receive foreign funds during the crisis caused by the second wave, and this has impacted their COVID-19 relief efforts. Relaxing the foreign funding rules could significantly help organisations ramp up their operations to help individuals, supply critical healthcare equipment, and respond to communities in rural areas.

Read this article to know how amending the FCRA can have unforeseen implications.

Philanthropy & CSR: The Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) has issued a circular that allows corporate spending on health infrastructure for COVID-19 care to qualify as corporate social responsibility (CSR) expenditure.

This includes setting up medical oxygen generation and storage plants, manufacturing and supply of oxygen concentrators, ventilators, cylinders, and other medical equipment to counter COVID-19.  

The announcement comes at a time when all efforts are being directed towards expediting efforts to support the country’s healthcare infrastructure.

According to the circular, companies can now undertake projects and activities in collaboration with other companies using CSR funds. Additionally, they can contribute to specified research and development projects, as well as publicly funded universities and certain organisations that conduct research in science, technology, engineering, and medicine.

The government had earlier clarified that setting up makeshift hospitals and temporary COVID-19 care facilities would also be considered a CSR activity. Rajesh Verma, the Corporate Affairs Secretary, has requested businesses to consider converting vacant office buildings into COVID-19 facilities to cater to the rapidly increasing caseload.

Read this article to understand why media attention on COVID-19 deaths due to lack of oxygen in big cities has skewed donor priorities.