With an aim to provide better access to healthcare to the people in the remote areas, the Uttar Pradesh government has announced that it will connect all the health centres in the state to the prominent roadways.

The press statement issued by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath also informed that the campaign to repair the roads leading to community health centres (CHCs) and primary health centres (PHCs) in all districts has been intensified.

The government believes that once the CHCs and PHCs are connected to the main roads, it will take lesser time for ambulances to transport patients to hospitals with better healthcare facilities.

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The statement also informed that there are a total of 3,011 PHCs and 855 CHCs in the state.

Gaon Connection has consistently reported on the rural health infrastructure of the country. On May 29, it reported about the dismal state of health centres in rural areas in Uttar Pradesh.

Its community journalists visited 11 rural health centres — four PHCs and seven sub-centres (upkendras) —in the villages of Unnao, Barabanki, Shahjahanpur and Sitapur districts. 

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These health centres are exceedingly vital for India’s villages as these are the fundamental units of rural health infrastructure where villagers access basic medical facilities.

However, it was found that several of these primary health centres were in dilapidated and deserted conditions. Some had their doors, windows and scanty furniture broken with no staff in sight. Some were locked with overgrown weeds.  Read full report here.