You quote we pay and incentives; steps taken to expand healthcare professionals in rural areas

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, under the National Health Mission (NHM), extends technical and financial support to States and Union Territories to enhance the public healthcare system. This includes developing healthcare infrastructure in rural areas and implementing initiatives to support and retain medical professionals.

States and UTs submit Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) detailing their healthcare improvement proposals. Based on these submissions, the Government of India evaluates and grants financial approval in the form of Record of Proceedings (RoPs), adhering to prescribed norms and available resources.

Through this initiative, the central government aims to strengthen rural healthcare, ensuring better medical facilities and improved accessibility for communities in need.

Under NHM, the following types of incentives and honorarium are provided for encouraging healthcare professionals including females to practice in rural and remote areas of the country:

Hard area allowance to specialist doctors for serving in rural and remote areas and for their residential quarters so that they find it attractive to serve in public health facilities in such areas.

Honorarium to Gynecologists/ Emergency Obstetric Care (EmoC) trained, Pediatricians & Anesthetist/ Life Saving Anaesthesia Skills (LSAS) trained doctors is also provided to increase availability of specialists for conducting Cesarean Sections in rural & remote area.

Incentives like special incentives for doctors, incentive for Auxiliary Nurse and Midwife (ANM) for ensuring timely Antenatal Checkup (ANC) checkup and recording, incentives for conducting Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health activities.

States are also allowed to offer negotiable salary to attract specialist including flexibility in strategies such as “You Quote We Pay”.

Non-Monetary incentives such as preferential admission in post graduate courses for staff serving in difficult areas and improving accommodation arrangement in rural areas have also been introduced under NHM.

Multi-skilling of doctors is supported under NHM to overcome the shortage of specialists. Skill upgradation of existing HR is another major strategy under NRHM for achieving improvement in health outcomes.