An application of Indian public health standard for evaluation of primary health centers of an EAG and a Non-EAG state

National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has provided the opportunities to develop a standard for Sub centers, PHCs and CHCs in the country, popularly known as Indian Public Health Standards (IPHS). The study was carried out to find out and compare to what extent the IPHS were followed by the PHCs in the selected districts of both the Empowered Action Group (EAG) state of Assam and non EAG state of Karnataka. It was a Cross sectional observational study conducted during September-October 2008 where the quality of care and services provided in the selected PHCs as per the IPHS norms was assessed. All the PHCs in both the studied districts were rendering the assured services of OPD, 24hrs general emergency service and referral services while 24 hour delivery services were being provided by 80% of the PHCs of the selected districts of both the states. Functional labor rooms were available only in 80% and 90% of the studied PHCs in Assam and Karnataka respectively. Basic laboratory facilities, for routine blood, urine and stool examination were available in 80% of the studied PHCs in the non-EAG state of Karnataka while it was only in 20% of the studied PHCs of the EAG state of Assam. The findings of the present study revealed important deficiencies as per IPHS norms in the studied PHCs of both Assam and Karnataka.