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| Madhya Pradesh (MP) An insight |
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MP is the second largest state in India with respect to surface area (308,252 sq. km.). It is home to 60 million people or 6% of the country's population. 16 million persons live in the towns and cities of Madhya Pradesh which comprises 27 % of the population. The urban population of Madhya Pradesh is growing significantly faster than the rural population and is estimated to comprise 45 % of the population by 2051. 38.4% of the urban population lives below the 'below poverty line' which equates to about 6 million. Madhya Pradesh is also among the least developed states in India.
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RCH related policies and provisions for urban poor : MP Government has formulated its own policy level mandate for improving living conditions of the poor. The MP Population Policy recognizes the lack of dedicated primary health infrastructure and envisages the creation of a suitable service delivery system. The policy also reiterates the important role of the private sector in improving health conditions in urban and rural slums.
RCH infrastructure and services focusing on urban poor : In areas of MP, RCH services are available through District or Municipal hospitals, Health Posts and Post Partum (PP) Centers Anganwadi Centers (AWCs). There is lack of dedicated primary health infrastructure. Existing health facilities are also not in the vicinity of urban slum communities and therefore not accessible to them. Rapid urbanization has also rendered the already inadequate health infrastructure further inadequate. For instance, primary health facilities which were initially planned for a population of 50,000 cater to much higher populations. As a result, most slums are either outside the purview of health services or receive very poor quality care. In order to improve access of health service, it is essential to partner with government and private sector. Link volunteers who are recruited from the community and provided training inputs can generate awareness on health issues and improving linkage with health providers.
There are 604 slums in Indore, of which 438 are officially recognized. Based on the criteria of socioeconomic and health status of the community , access and availability of basic infrastructure, water supply, health facilities, AWC and existing capacity of community groups, 157 slums have been categorised as vulnerable. |
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Factors |
Situations effecting Health Vulnerability in Slums |
Economic Conditions |
Irregular employment, poor access to fair credit |
Social Conditions |
Wide spread alcoholism, gender inequity, poor educational status |
Living Environment |
Poor access to safe water supply and sanitation facilities, overcrowding, poor housing and insecure land tenure |
Access and use of public health care services |
Lack of access to ICDS and primary health care services, poor quality of health care |
Hidden/ Unlisted Slums |
Many slums are not notified in official records and remain outside the purview of civic and health services |
Rapid mobility |
Temporary migrants, denied access to health services and other development programs, difficulty in tracking and providing follow-up health services to recent migrants |
Health and disease |
High prevalence of diarrhea, fever and cough among children |
Negotiating capacity |
Lack of organized community - collective effort in slums |
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Profile of some Class I cities in MP
Source: Planning Commission. 2001. National Human Development Report, 2001. New Delhi: Planning Commission, Government of India.
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Name of city |
Total Population |
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2001 |
Decadal Growth Rate (%) |
Slum Population, 2001* |
% of Slum Population |
Indore |
1,516,918 |
36.8 |
260,975 |
17.20 |
Bhopal |
1,458,416 |
37.2 |
125,720 |
08.62 |
Jabalpur |
1,098,000 |
23.5 |
275,662 |
25.10 |
Gwalior |
865,584 |
20.6 |
209,769 |
24.23 |
Ujjain |
431,162 |
18.9 |
120,330 |
27.90 |
Sagar |
308,922 |
20.1 |
8,562 |
02.77 |
Ratlam |
234,419 |
19.7 |
64,054 |
27.32 |
Dewas |
231,672 |
40.9 |
98,250 |
42.41 |
Satna |
229,307 |
42.9 |
35,534 |
15.49 |
Murwara |
187,029 |
14.4 |
39,149 |
20.93 |
Rewa |
183,274 |
42.1 |
13,168 |
07.18 |
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Madhya Pradesh also ranks low in terms of other social indicators among the states of India. As per the Human Development Report, 2001, urban Madhya Pradesh ranks 28th among the 32 states for which the Human Development Index (HDI) was calculated. The position of urban Madhya Pradesh has been deteriorating over time.
Private Health Care Providers
A large network of private providers exists along with a large number of public sector providers. The total number of private health providers is estimated to exceed 160,000 when formal, informal and traditional practitioners are included. The largest part of the private health care comprises of unqualified providers and dais. Most of the urban poor depend on the private sector particularly unqualified providers for health care. For minor curative services 90% of the urban poor consult a Registered Medical Practitioner (RMP/unqualified practitioner), and 10% consult a Public Health Centre (PHC)/ Community Health Centre). For major ailments, 90% consult a private nursing home/hospital. Partnership with the private sector is an effective way to increase access of health services to the poor. |
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