Andhra Pradesh Shifts PHC Grading to Focus on Health Outcomes
Andhra Pradesh has introduced a new grading system for Primary Health Centres (PHCs) that moves beyond patient visits to measure actual health outcomes, the Department of Health, Medical and Family Welfare announced on Monday.
Under the existing system, PHCs were evaluated based on five indicators: outpatient visits, inpatient admissions, laboratory tests, deliveries, and contraceptive use. Officials found this approach failed to capture critical health outcomes such as disease prevention, maternal and child health, chronic disease management, and continuity of care.
The new system, described in an official press release, uses 21 key performance indicators. These include the number of teenage pregnancies registered within a PHC's jurisdiction, high-risk pregnancy registrations, quality of antenatal care, institutional deliveries in government hospitals, Caesarean section rates, total fertility rate, and maternal mortality control.
The grading also assesses doctor and staff behaviour, hospital cleanliness, waiting times, medicine availability, periodic follow-up examinations, timely referral of suspected cancer patients, detection of congenital disorders, and identification of malnutrition. Each indicator carries a maximum of one point.
Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav stated that the objective is to make the rural healthcare system more accountable, outcome-oriented, and accessible to the public. Health Secretary and Health and Family Welfare Commissioner G. Veerapandian said that publishing monthly rankings will help quickly identify underperforming PHCs, address deficiencies, and improve service delivery.
The reform aims to shift focus from mere service counts to tangible health improvements in rural Andhra Pradesh.
