Shillong, Dec 10: A pilot social audit of health institutes in Garo Hills has highlighted certain issues, such as low public awareness about the Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS) and “unsatisfactory” behaviour by some staff.
The social audit was conducted from October 21 to November 10 by the Meghalaya Society for Social Audit and Transparency (MSSAT).
Auditors underwent preparatory training over the course of five days in September. Four facilities were chosen for the audit – Asanang Primary Health Centre, Dadenggre Community Health Centre, Tura’s Maternity and Child Hospital and the Tura Civil Hospital. They were assessed by 11 social auditors.
Although this was a small sample, what they found is that improvements in service delivery were highlighted.
“District hospitals continue to provide major health services, however, some areas in improvement in service delivery and patient handling were observed… A few patients reported unsatisfactory behaviour from some staff, which discouraged them from seeking care,” the report said. A similar finding was reported for the PHC.
Despite these, these healthcare institutions still provide vital services for the public, including ASHA workers and auxiliary nurse midwives (ANMs).
Another area that requires improvement is greater awareness of the state government’s flagship health insurance scheme, MHIS. This remains low even a decade on from its introduction.
Meanwhile, MSSAT held a public hearing on the social audit at the Multi-Facility Hall, Rongram C&RD Block on December 5, to present and discuss the findings.
The hearing brought together medical officers, district and block officials and community leaders and members, to review the service delivery in the health sector and identify measures for improvement.
MSSAT Director J. Pyngrope highlighted the importance of public hearings in deepening citizen engagement and enhancing governance.
Sub-Divisional Officer (Sadar) Richa Kulkarni emphasised the importance of community-led accountability, noting that social audits are most necessary in the health sector due to the numerous schemes implemented by both the Central and State governments.
She said despite significant investment, intended improvements do not always reach the ground. Kulkarni said corrective measures are needed and the public and community serves are important stakeholders in identifying areas requiring improvement.
Joint Director of Health Services Dr. S. Boro reaffirmed the collective responsibility of health institutions and the administration to strengthen Meghalaya’s health delivery systems and assured that recommendations from the social audit would be forwarded to the concerned authorities for necessary action.
