Interpreting The Role Of Nurses During Kerala s Public...

Research Proposal Interpreting the Role of Nurses in Kerala’s Public Health Care System Name of the Guide: Dr. Mathew George Pallavi Muraleedharan Enrollment Number: M2015HE018 Master of Health Administration (2015-17) 1. INTRODUCTION The shortage of qualified human resources in the health sector is a major challenge India is currently facing. 18% of the primary health centers are without a doctor and out of the 52% sanctioned posts for specialists at CHCs that remain vacant, 55% are for surgeons, 48% are for obstetricians and gynecologists, 55% are for physicians and about 47% for pediatricians (Rao et al. 2011). As a consequence, the worst hit are the people from the rural sections and other marginalized communities. Although the proportions may be different in the case of Kerala, the reality is not quite promising either. The shortage of MBBS graduates to serve under the National Health Mission on contract in government hospitals is an issue of concern for the NHM authorities in Kerala (The Hindu 2015). The reluctance of the doctors to serve in the rural areas is also evident. In situations such as these it is imperative to adopt prudent alternative courses of action. The Planning Commission’s HLEG report suggests that a new cadre of mid-level practitioners called the BRHC with a 3-year training should be introduced to meet the growing needs especially in the underserved areas. It is also worth considering what can be done to the existing HR. Why not utilize