Health Social Care Research Proposal

RESEARCH PROPOSAL

A STUDY OF THE EFFICIENCY OF PRIMARY HEALTHCARE CENTERS IN RAJASTHAN WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO AJMER DISTRICT

PERSENTED BY SHAHNAWAZ AHMAD MSW (Psychiatric and Health Social Work) University of Lucknow UGC-JRF (Social Work) July 2012

Health is a common theme in all cultures and all communities have their concepts of health as a part of their cultures. Health is today considered an integral part of human development. The definition of health as given by the World Health Organisation (WHO), describes health as a state of complete physical, mental, social and spiritual well being and not merely as absence of disease or infirmity. The modern medical facilities are striving towards achieving this multi-faceted

The Bhore Committee in 1946 gave the concept of a PHC as a basic health unit to provide as close to the people as possible, an integrated curative and preventive health care to the rural population with emphasis on preventive and promotive aspects of health care. Now India is a developing nation where about 70% of the population lives in rural areas and depend on Primary health centers for their care. Government has provided many facilities and funds for primary health centers for providing quality of health care. The long-term goal of the Indian government has been to provide health care to rural communities through PHCs. However, even with large funding, these centers have not been successful for a variety of reasons that include lack of decent facilities, equipment for performing even simple laboratory tests, etc. Even more important is a social reality: there just are not enough trained and qualified doctors. The result of non availability of proper services and functioning of PHCs has been that, in many cases, diseases are not diagnosed in their early stages nor treated and the rural population has to often travel to urban areas for medical and health

 To ascertain the existing basic infrastructure of public healthcare centers (PHC’s) in study area. Including IPD, OPD, and OT facilities there in and identify the deficiencies if any.  To ascertain overall impact of primary health centers services rendered in the district through the public health centers and make generalization about the existing plight of community health services in the district.  To create the profile of respondents and ascertain their level of satisfaction to the health care services provided by the primary health care centers.  To offer some suggestion and measure for improving the health services offered by the public healthcare system.

Literature Review: Primary Health Care as defined by the World Health Organization in 1978 is: “Essential health care, based on practical, scientifically sound, and socially acceptable method and technology; universally accessible to all in the community through their full participation; at an affordable cost; and geared toward self-reliance and self-determination.” (WHO,