50% vacancies in health centres yet to be filled: Congress

Gujarat Congress on Sunday criticised the Modi government for its callous attitude towards health sector in the state. In a release, the party listed out the vacancies that are yet to be filled at various government health centres at both the taluka and district level.  

Manish Doshi, spokesperson for the Congress, said that while the state government was busy propagating medical tourism in the state, it had conveniently ignored the dissatisfactory health indices of Gujarat.

“Malnutrition and maternal mortality are high in the state, yet the government has not bothered to do much about it,” said Doshi. He listed out the various vacant positions in the health centres at the taluka and district level.

“50% of the vacancies in the 300 community health centres and 1,158 primary health centres are yet to be filled,” he said. “While the government has the money to spend on various festivals, it stands 31st in the country as far as spending on health is concerned,” he said.

The party further alleged that the state had mere 53 beds for 1 lakh people even as 24% of the vacancies for doctors and 60% of those for specialists were yet to be filled.