Role of Primary Health Centre (PHC) Doctors

Primary Health Centre (PHC) doctors are pivotal to India's public health system, serving as crucial links between the healthcare system and rural communities. They play multidimensional roles that go beyond clinical care, involving public health programs, disease surveillance, and community health promotion.

Responsibilities of PHC Doctors

• PHCs typically serve a population ranging from 20,000 to 50,000 people, depending on the area's geography and urbanization.
• Responsibilities include coordinating immunization campaigns, conducting door-to-door surveys, managing vector control, running school health programs, and responding to disease outbreaks.
• They also engage in community health education, inter-sectoral meetings, and gram sabhas and mentor various healthcare workers like ASHAs, ANMs, and village health workers.

Challenges Faced by PHC Doctors

PHC doctors face numerous challenges, including the need to stay updated across the entire medical spectrum, handle emergencies across specialties, and cope with administrative burdens stemming from both paper and digital record-keeping.

• On busy days, PHC doctors attend to around 100 outpatients, requiring efficient time management.
• Administrative work involves maintaining over 100 physical registers and digital systems, leading to duplication of efforts.
• Burnout is a significant concern, driven by emotional exhaustion, detachment, and systemic inadequacies.

Systemic Challenges and Solutions

• Administrative overload is a primary driver of burnout, highlighting the gap between expectations and systemic support.
• Even in progressive states like Tamil Nadu, systemic stressors persist despite certification efforts like the National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS).
• Recommendations include reducing documentation time, adopting automation, and delegating non-clinical tasks.

The Importance of Strengthening Primary Care

Strengthening PHCs is crucial for achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC), as outlined in Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.8. Investment in public health should prioritize the well-being of PHC doctors to ensure a resilient healthcare system.

• The Bhore Committee's vision emphasized preventive services and community involvement, which remains relevant today.
• India must view primary care not as a cost center but as a vital investment for sustainable healthcare.

Conclusion: Addressing the challenges faced by PHC doctors is essential for building a responsive and resilient healthcare system. Systemic reforms should prioritize the physical and emotional well-being of healthcare providers, ensuring that primary care is both effective and sustainable.