The report of National Health Mission (NHM) which has downgraded Uttarakhand on the parameters of health services has given a stick to the Opposition Congress party to browbeat the State Government.

The Congress is emboldened by the fact that Chief Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat is himself heading the health department.

Former Chief Minister and General Secretary of All India Congress Committee (AICC) Harish Rawat said the present status of health services in Uttarakhand is very worrying.

He said the health services were in better shape in mountainous areas when a separate State of Uttarakhand was not carved out of Uttar Pradesh.

Vice-President of the State unit of Congress party Surya Kant Dhasmana said the report of the NHM has exposed the status of health services in the State.

He said in the Community Health Centres (CHC) of State, only one third of the required number of doctors is available.

The former Health Minister of senior Congress leader Tilak Raj Behed said the entire health system of the State is running at the mercy of the bureaucracy. He added the Primary Health Centres (PHC) and CHCs are needed to be strengthened for the benefit of the people.

The dismal performance of the State in the NHM report has also highlighted the fact that the health department is sans any full time minister from last two and half years.

Behed said a full time Health Minister should be appointed in the State.

In the recently released Health System Strengthening- Conditionality Report of the States 2018- 19, the NHM has penalised Uttarakhand by giving it  -8 points.

In the report,  Dadar and Nagar Haveli is placed at the top among all the States while Uttarakhand is placed at 30th position in the table of the States.

The NHM report is based on seven parameters like improving incremental performance based on NITI Aayog report, health and wellness centres, human resource information system (HRIS), grading of district hospitals, mental health services in districts, screening of 30 plus population for non communicable diseases and rating of PHCs.

The poor performance of the State has ensured that it now would not be able stake claim on full incentive offered by the NHM for improving its health services.