Performance Audit of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in Sikkim

Abstract

A mid-term review of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in Sikkim in the third year of the Mission period (2005-2012) revealed that the State was performing fairly well in the areas of demographic goals (infant mortality rate, total fertility rate, immunisation etc.) and implementation of National Disease Control Programmes (NDCP) (control over blindness/ tuberculosis/ leprosy/ vector borne diseases etc.). The State has adequate physical infrastructure at the PHSC and PHC level and deployment of paramedical staff is adequate. However, the implementation of NRHM suffered from deficient financial management resulting in huge unspent balance to the tune of Rs. 44.43 crore (82 per cent) as on 31 March 2008. While the progress of civil works relating to the health infrastructure is very slow, health care remained mainly dependent on the health institutions of the Government due to very low number of private health facilities in the State and the number of referral cases to outside the State remained quite high.