Irregularities in NRHM,75 pc funds not utilised: CAG

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG),in its latest report that was tabled in the Assembly by Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal on Tuesday,brought to light a few glaring irregularities in the implementation of the scheme. According to the report,ill-equipped health institutions,non-availability of doctors and paramedical staff and indiscriminate opening of health institutions without any baseline survey had led to chaos for which corrective measures,if taken up,would invite more problems.

“Underutilisation of the funds was mainly due to lack of planning. There was no database for meaningful assessment of healthcare services and identification of the gaps for future course of interventions,” the report said. During 2005-09,the CAG said,not even a single district in Himachal Pradesh prepared action plans,because of which the perspective plans for the implementation of the scheme till 2012 was not prepared at the state level.

To make things further complicated,the government failed to ensure availability of general surgeons,obstetricians,gynaecologists,anaesthetists and paramedical staff,including nurses,at the upgraded first referral units,community health centres and primary health centres. “The health centres remained extremely under-staffed and no medical or paramedical staff was recruited after 2005. Thus,delivery of health services suffered adversely,particularly for the poor and vulnerable sections,” said the report.

The CAG,which also scrutinised the working of the police,detected deficiencies in the ‘police modernisation plan’,pointing out delays in the procurement of weapons and starting DNA profiling division at the State Forensic Science Laboratory.

On the state’s fiscal management,the CAG conveyed its displeasure over the lack of prudent financial management as a lot of borrowings done was invested on low financial returns.