SMCH/HCDS/08: Health System in India at state level

Quadrant-I

Personal Details

Role Name Affiliation

Principal Investigator Prof. CP Mishra Department of Community Medicine, Institute
of Medical Sciences, Banaras Hindu
University, Varanasi

Paper Coordinator Prof. Najam Khalique Department of Community Medicine, JN

Medical College, AMU, Aligarh

Content Writer Dr. M. Salman Shah Assistant Professor

Department of Community Medicine, JN
Medical College, AMU, Aligarh

Dr. Saira Mehnaz Assistant Professor

Content Reviewer Department of Community Medicine, JN
Medical College, AMU, Aligarh

Description of Module

Items Description of Module

Subject name Social Medicine & Community Health
Paper name Health Care Delivery System
Module name/Title Health System in India at state level
Module Id SMCH/HCDS/08
Pre-requisites Understanding of organizations in general terms
Objectives To understand healthcare setup at state level
Keywords Political head, State Secretariat, State Ministry of Health,

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Introduction

At the State level the Health Care Delivery System is under the State Department of Health and Family
Welfare, headed by a Minister and with a Secretariat under the charge of Secretary/Commissioner (Health
and Family Welfare). The State Directorate of Health Services, as the technical wing, is an attached office
of the State Department of Health and Family Welfare and is headed by a Director of Health Services.
The area of medical education, which is with the Directorate of Health Services at the State, is known as
Directorate of Medical Education and Research. This Directorate is under the charge of Director of
Medical Education, who is answerable directly to the Health Secretary/ Commissioner of the State. Some
states have created the posts of Director (Ayurveda) and Director (Homeopathy). These officers enjoy a
larger autonomy, although sometimes they still fall under the Directorate of Health Services of the
State.(1)

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this module, the reader should be able to:

 Describe Health Care Organization at state level

 Give an overview of Health care set up at state level
 Mention duties and responsibilities of joint director health systems (administration)

Main Text

[Link] care organization at state level

By and large, the organizational Structure adopted by the State is in conformity with the pattern of the
Central Government. The State Directorate of Health Services, as the technical wing, is an attached office
of the State Department of Health and Family Welfare and is headed by a Director of Health Services.
However, the organizational structure of the State Directorate of Health Services is not uniform
throughout the country. For example, in some states, the Programme Officers below the rank of Director
of Health Services are called Additional Director of Health Services; while in other states they are called
Joint/Deputy Director, Health Services. But regardless of the job title, each programme officer below the
Director of Health Services deals with one or more subject(s). Every State Directorate has supportive
categories comprising of both technical and administrative staff. (2)
The area of medical education, which was integrated with the Directorate of Health Services at the
State, has once again shown a tendency of maintaining a separate identity as Directorate of Medical
Education and Research. This Directorate is under the charge of Director of Medical Education, who is
answerable directly to the Health Secretary/Commissioner of the State. (2)
Some states have created the posts of Director (Ayurveda) and Director (Homeopathy). These
officers enjoy a larger autonomy in day-to- day work, although sometimes they still fall under the
Directorate of Health Services of the State. (2)
Health as per constitution of India is a state subject. The state health department is assisted by
Corporations, municipalities, Panchayati Raj, ad hoc statutory bodies like mines board of health, ESI
corporations, etc. where ever they exist. (2)

 Political head: a minister of a cabinet rank is the political head of the health department.
 Formulates policies, Monitoring & implementation of these policies.

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  Administrative head: state secretariat
 Secretariat means a complex of departments.
 Headed by an IAS officer of the rank of commissioner who functions as secretary to the
Government in the department of health & FW.
 He is assisted by joint secretaries along with other administrative staff.

 Technical head: Executive department function below secretariat.

 Headed by specialists & are concerned with supervision, coordination & control of policy framed
by state govt.
 Headed by Director of Health services who has under him Joint directors (-Medical, Food &
Drug, ESI, Administration, etc.) &deputy directors responsible for inspection & supervision of all
National Health programs along with program specialist of the rank of Assistant Directors to deal
with individual & specific programs.(2)

At present there are 29 States in India, with each state having its own health administration. In all the
States, the management sector comprises the State Ministry of Health and a Directorate of Health.

 State Ministry of Health

The State Ministry of Health is headed by a Minister of Health and Family Welfare and a Deputy Minister
of Health and Family Welfare. The Health Secretariat is the official organ of the State Ministry of Health
and is headed by a Secretary who is assisted by Deputy Secretaries, Under Secretaries and a large
administrative staff. The Secretary is a senior officer of the Indian Administrative Service. (2)

 State Health Directorate

The Director of Health Services is the chief technical adviser to the State Government on all matters
relating to medicine and public health. He is also responsible for the organization and direction of all
health activities. With the advent of family planning as an important programme, the designation of
Director of Health Services has been changed in some States and is known as Director of Health and
Family Welfare. A recent development in some States is the appointment of a Director of Medical
Education in view of the increasing number of medical colleges.
The Director of Health and Family Welfare is assisted by a suitable number of deputies and assistants.
The deputy and Assistant Directors of Health may be of two types-regional. Regional Directors inspect all
the branches of public health within their jurisdiction, irrespective of their specialty. The Functional
Directors are usually specialists in a particular branch of public health such as mother and child health,
family planning, nutrition, and tuberculosis. (2)

 Functions:
 Integrating health care services
 During integration the state level administrators may have to overcome many of the
barriers in integration of health services such as insufficient understanding about
changing environment and issues affecting healthcare organizations, ambiguity about
roles, responsibilities, relationships, lack of readiness for change, accountability etc.
 Availability of medical facilities
 Plan health programmes and drawing policies in providing health.
 Provision of medicines
 Provision of control of milk and food sanitation
 Promotion of health education

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  Promotion of health programs like school health, family planning, occupational health
 Supervision of PHC
 Establishing training courses for health personnel
 Co-ordination of health services with other ministers of state like minister of education,
central health minister and voluntary agencies.

 At the regional level

In the state of Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and others, zonal
or regional or divisional set-ups have been created between the State Directorate of Health Services and
District Health Administration. Each regional/zonal set-up covers three to five districts and acts under
authority delegated by the State Directorate of Health Services. The status of officers/in-charge of such
regional/zonal organizations differs, but they are known as Additional/Joint/Deputy Directors of Health
Services in different States (2)

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Organizational structure of health services at state level (2)

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2. Health care setup at state level (2)

General Monitoring and overall-in-charge of Health Administration on behalf of Director of

MINISTER OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

And

DEPUTY MINISTER HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

ADMINISTRATORS (IAS CADRE)

[Link] Secretary of health

[Link] of health and
TECHNICAL EXPERTS (Example of Gujarat)
[Link] (Post abolished)
[Link] Directors
- Health (PHCs/CHC)
- Family welfare
- Medical education and research
- Medical services (Sub district/District Hospital)
[Link] Directors (four)
[Link] Directors (two)

[Link] and responsibilities

[Link] and Responsibilities of Additional Director Health Services(Administration)

 General Monitoring and overall-in-charge of Health Administration on behalf of Director of

Health Services
 Monitoring of Central Medical Store
 Chairman, recruitment board for Directorate staff
 No demand Certificate for all categories of Officers
 Maintenance of Attendance Register of the erstwhile Gazetted Officers of the Directorate.
 Initiation of proposals for the post of DDHS and above
 In-charge of Discipline cell
 Financial authority: (a)Controlling function bills (b)Sanction of cash equivalent of leave salary

 Establishment of Medical Officers

 Misc. cases of Post Mortem examination
 Setting up of Medical Team on request
 Medical Re-imbursement
 Police Morgue
 To tackle problems of hospitals in West Bengal
 Conduction of Enquiry and sending of reports to HRC
 Leave Travel Concession of the staff
 General enquiry related to Admn. Branch

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  Renal Transplant Board
 Assembly Matters (3)

[Link] and Responsibilities of Joint Director Health Services(Administration)

 Monitoring of Nursing Establishment

 Monitoring of health Transport system
 Medical reimbursement
 Nodal Officer for Health Monitoring System
 Hospital Administration
 Financial Authority:-
 Sanction of Funeral Expenses
 Sanction of purchase of Type-writer machine and Duplicating machine
 Sanction of purchase of drawing materials
 Sanction of repair of Furniture, Type-writing machine, Duplicating machine and
refrigerator
 Sanction of Telephone
 Sanction of expenditure for building petty repairs
 Sanction to the purchase and repair of X-ray machine
 Sanction to the purchase of Instruments and appliances
 PC & PNDT
 General Grievance and Public Grievance
 Court cases of Cadre Section
 Appointment & Transfer-posting cases of Nursing cadre
 Establishment of Asstt. Superintendent
 Telephone Bills of Swasthya Bhavan
 Courts cases related to ADHS (Admn.)
 Store purchase Committee
 Establishment of Linen Keeper/ Dietician/ Librarian
 Central Control Room
 Attendance of Gr –“A” Officer with monthly working statement (3)

[Link] and Responsibilities of Deputy Director Health Services(Administration)

 Licensing Authority for private clinical establishment
 Chairman, Central Diet Committee
 Maintenance of Service Book for Gr.A & B & C employees upto ADHS
 Entitlement of Pay slip to all categories of Employees
 Medical Coverage of VIP & VVIP
 Chairman, condemnation and disposal Board
 Post-mortem affairs
 Countersignature of Group Insurance of Employees
 Financial Authority
 Sanction of purchase of Stationery articles, Wooden furniture, Steel Almirahs, Steel
Rack, Liveries of Gr.D Staff, Umbrella
 Controlling function over all employee of the Directorate regarding TA bills upto the
rank of ADHS
 Cash equivalent of Leave Salary of Medical and erstwhile gazetted officers upto the rank
of ADHS(3)
 Part of Pension Cell

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  Pay cell
 Right to Information
 Human Rights Commission
 Court Cases of Medical Officers
 Medical Coverage of V.V.I.P.
 Cooked Diet
 Grade Promotion and Cadre Promotion

Summary

At the State level the Health Care Delivery System is under the State Department of Health and Family
Welfare, headed by a Minister and with a Secretariat under the charge of Secretary/ Commissioner
(Health and Family Welfare). It consists of political head, administrative head & technical head. Each
head consists of various employees and their incharge that performs their assigned duties
&responsibilities to ensure proper functioning of the health care delivery system.

References:

1. Organization of Health Care in India, Leo S. Vaz.

2. Post Graduate Certificate Course in Health System and Management,2013, Module 2: Chapter
[Link] To Health System In India - Government Set – UP,IAPSM Gujarat Chapter.
3. Duties & responsibilities of different employees of health directorate, Health and Family Welfare
department.