Despite expansion of infrastructure and systems for providing healthcare service throughout the state, “Health for All”, in Arunachal Pradesh is still a distant dream for the people.

With a low population density, the department of Health and Family Welfare should have been able to make available health care facilities in a socially equitable, accessible and affordable manner. However, the department despite the centre pumping huge sums and despite adopting the central government’s norms, guidelines, policies and programmes has miserably failed.

One of the reasons for the lack of development of healthcare sector in the state is blamed on geographical factors and connectivity problems especially in terms of surface connectivity.

Despite that, it can be safely said that health infrastructure in the state especially in remote and rural areas has remained inadequate to cater to the needs of the people considering the low density of population.

To cater to healthcare of people in remote areas, the government has been setting up Public Health and Community Health Centres, dispensaries but it has been too little too less.

However, the expansion of services is not been backed by providing health personnel like doctors, ANMs and other health personnel in addition to non- stocking of life saving drugs.

There is also shortage of all categories of health personnel except doctors. The state also suffers from acute shortage of specialist doctors and critical shortage of ANMs.

Another interesting facet of the health sector in our state is the shortfall of Public Health Centre. At present a PHC is to serve an area of 2981 sq. kms and Sub-Centre an area of 186 sq. km. Moreover, there is requirement of about 356 health centres whereas 286 health centres are presently in place, a shortfall of 70.

In such a scenario, spread of diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhoeal diseases, hepatitis, water borne diseases etc which results in high mortality especially among children in rural areas in addition to communicable disease and nutritional deficiency is but understandable.

Ideally, the department of Health and Family Welfare, which at the moment is in dire straits must take a leaf out of private hospitals and manage its affairs in a more professional way as they are dealing with lives of people.