Functioning of Primary Health Centers in the Selected Tribal Districts of Karnataka-India: Some Preliminary Observations

The study was intended to find how the Primary Health Centers in the Selected Tribal Districts of Karnataka-India are functioning and to reveal their problems and prospects. Cross-sectional, Observational study was done in a total of 35 PHCs, randomly selected from the three tribal dominant districts of Karnataka (Mysore, Chamaraja Nagar and Kodagu). A total of 35 medical and 50 para-medical staff were interviewed with pre tested questioners. For qualitative data, 100 tribal beneficiaries were selected (50 men, 50women). Data was collected through open-ended questionnaires using interviews, matrix method and focus groups study and data analyzed using SPSS software. The study found that non availability of essential fundamental facility, ill-mannered behavior of the staff, and absence of adequate man power, were some of the major reasons why tribals have negative perceptions about the PHCs. Further, this study has shown that there is a need of policy change regarding working style of PHCs