Health Care Delivery System in Punjab: An Analysis

The human rights approach is central to the development of a robust public health care systems. Right to health is a recognized human right. In order to make this right a reality, among other factors, role of public health care providers is of great significance. Public health care providers are instrumental in connecting the beneficiaries with the health care delivery system of the State.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), healthcare sector is facing a shortage of health workers in India. The Government of India (GoI) in the year 2005 with the intent to improve the public healthcare delivery system in India as one of its major tasks had set up National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) which was subsequently renamed as National Health Mission (NHM).

Universal immunization forms an integral and a significant component of public healthcare delivery systems. The objective of this paper is to look into implementation and delivery of the immunization services particularly in the remote and inaccessible areas where the services provided by the government machinery could be the weakest. It seeks to deal with the empirical data collected from the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) from district Pathankot, Punjab. It attempts to understand the role of these service providers especially in the field of immunization and services related to immunization in the district (inclusive of rural and urban areas) Pathankot, in the State of Punjab within the Union of India.