Not only this, the report concludes that the status of health services in urban areas is in fact, no better than in the rural areas.

Based on an analysis of the National Family Health Survey III (2007), the report reveals that while there are gaps in rural healthcare services, services made available for the urban poor are in worse condition.

The findings were presented in Lucknow at a state-level meeting on urban health issues on Tuesday by Dr Siddharth Agarwal of UHRC. Talking about the survey, Agarwal said the urban poor are a marginalised lot: “The NFHS clearly indicates that the urban poor have been left out. Various schemes on issues related to health focus primarily either on the urban or rural populace. But there is a big gap when one speaks about the urban poor, a gap which needs to be filled by specific programmes.”

The participating health department officials admitted that to ensure better health services, there was a need for convergence among government departments — the State Urban Development Authority, the health department, Integrated Child Development System — and the nno government organisations.

“In urban areas, there are several agencies working,” said J P Garg, Joint Director (Urban Health). But there are still a number of gaps, as they are not working in tandem.

In contrast, the condition in rural areas may be better, as almost all departments work in coordination with each other, he said. Moreover, there was also more focus on rural healthcare, as it is treated as a different sector altogether.

But no comprehensive plan has been implemented to tackle health-related issues as far as the urban poor are concerned. “We need a plan of action, which includes active community support and synchronisation between all departments,” Garg added.