Delhi has 2.71 hospital beds per 1,000, WHO recommends 5

NEW DELHI: Delhi's hospital bed to population ratio is little more than half of the WHO's recommended standard of 5 beds per 1,000 population, even though allocation to health sector under annual plans has significantly increased in the last decade.
As per the Delhi's economic survey of 2014-15, although the number of hospital beds have increased to 48,096 in 2014 from 32,941 in 2004, bed to population ratio stands at 2.71 (beds per 1,000 persons) a mere improvement from 2.25 in 2004.

Last year the ratio stood at 2.50.

"The investment in health sector under annual plans has significantly increased from Rs 469.83 crore in 2004-05 to Rs 1,990 crore in 2014-15 and thus recorded an annual compound growth rate (AGCR) of 15.53 per cent," said the report tabled in the Assembly today.

Around 15 Delhi government hospitals, including 200 bed hospital at Burari, 225 bed hospital at Chattarpur, 200 bed hospital at Madipur etc are under construction or under planning stage.

"The number of medical institutions in Delhi has increased at a low rate in terms of number of institutions and special clinics. There are number of reasons behind slow pace of extension of new health outlets such as nonavailability of land, shortage of manpower and multiplicity of agencies, etc.

"Moreover, all the hospitals especially major hospitals in Delhi are overcrowded because of heavy patient load," stated the report.

Based on findings of 68th Round of National Sample Survey (July 2011 and June 2012) in Delhi, the average monthly consumption expenditure of a household was estimated to the tune of Rs 15,122.

Out of this, Rs 462.84 was spent on medical facilities (institutional and noninstitutional) which constitute nearly 3.06 per cent. Thus the annual consumption expenditure of a household towards medical facilities was around Rs 5,554 for the year 2011-12.

The infant mortality rate in 2013 was recorded at 22, an improvement from 24 in 2001.

The survey claimed that Delhi is on the track to achieve the target of reducing the under-five mortality rate by two third by 2015. The reduction in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) also appears to be on track and the target is likely to be achieved by 2015.

As per MDG Delhi 2014 report, the other goal regarding universal institutional delivery is also on the track and the target is achievable by 2015.

In Delhi, there has been a reduction in underweight children. As per the NFHS report-3, 34.7 per cent children were underweight in the year 1998-99 but have decreased to 33.1 in the year 2005-06 owing to Nutrition and Health Education programme and immunisation through Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) network.

For reduction in child malnutrition and control of anaemia, the government is seeking convergence with various programmes, for example, National Rural Health Mission (NRHM)etc.