AMRAVATI

Amravati’s healthcare landscape, like many other regions across India, is shaped by a mix of indigenous and Western medical practices. For centuries, indigenous knowledge and treatments provided by practitioners such as hakims and vaidyas have formed the foundation of healthcare in the region. Over time, its landscape has gradually evolved with the introduction and expansion of more specialized medical services.

Much like other regions in India, Amravati’s healthcare infrastructure follows a multi-tiered system that involves both public and private sectors. Currently, the public healthcare system is tiered into primary, secondary, and tertiary levels. Primary care is provided through Sub Centres and Primary Health Centres (PHCs), while secondary care is managed by Community Health Centres (CHCs) and Sub-District hospitals. Tertiary care, the highest level, includes Medical Colleges and District Hospitals. This system has been shaped and refined over time, influenced by national healthcare reforms.

Amravati’s formal healthcare infrastructure, like much of India, has its origins in the colonial era, which laid the groundwork for the system in place today. Its healthcare landscape has undergone significant transformation from the early 20th century to the present day. According to the district Gazetteer (1968), by the mid-20th century, Amravati district had around 18 hospitals, one maternity home, and about 18 dispensaries by 1955–56. By 1960–61, this had grown to 19 hospitals, one maternity home, 22 dispensaries, and 11 newly established rural health centres.

While these early facilities laid the foundation for organized medical care, the district’s healthcare landscape gradually evolved with the involvement of community initiatives, trusts, and private actors. From the late 20th century onward, private hospitals began to appear across Amravati, driven by local efforts to bridge gaps in government services and bring specialized care closer to residents.

One significant step in expanding specialized services came in 1987, when Deshmukh Eye Hospital was established to meet essential eye care needs and provide equitable treatment for underserved patients.

In 2016, Zenith Heart & Multispecialty Hospital was established near the  Walcut Compound and has since emerged as a major centre for cardiology in the Amravati region. Notably, it was the first hospital in the district to install a cardiac catheterization lab, which marked a major step forward in the local capacity for advanced cardiac care here.

Despite these advances, however, similar to broader patterns that can be seen across India, the district’s healthcare infrastructure has developed unevenly across geographic lines. While urban areas experienced substantial growth in private healthcare facilities, rural regions remained predominantly served by government-run hospitals, with fewer private facilities.

Medical education and research are foundational to a district’s healthcare infrastructure. As Mathew Gerge aptly highlights, medical institutions often serve a “dual purpose,” which includes educating future healthcare professionals and providing healthcare services to the local population. In Amravati, this link has grown gradually over the decades, supported mainly by private and government-aided institutions.

The Dr. Panjabrao alias Bhausaheb Deshmukh Memorial Medical College is a well-known medical college located in Amravati, which was established in 1986. The college is affiliated with the Maharashtra University of Health Sciences and offers a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) program and postgraduate programs across multiple medical specialties.

It is linked with the Dr. Panjabrao Deshmukh Hospital & Research Centre, which was set up in 1992 as a teaching hospital and research facility. The hospital provides clinical training for students and practical exposure to diverse healthcare services. According to the institution’s website, the hospital has 830 beds with 28 indoor wards, an outpatient department (OPD), and 24/7 emergency services. In 2006, the institution received ISO certification in recognition of its commitment to maintaining quality standards in education and patient care.

Historically, before the advent of Western health care systems or the three-tiered healthcare infrastructure that exists today, people in the district relied on and made use of indigenous knowledge and medicine for their well-being.  When it comes to healthcare, India, for long, has been characterized by a pluralistic health tradition. Among the many medicine systems that have a long history in India and Amravati, as locals say, are Ayurveda and Unani.

One of the most notable institutions tied to this in the district is the Shri Gurudeo Ayurved College. The college was founded in 1944 by Sant Rashtrasant Tukdoji Maharaj, who was known for his work in rural reform, social development, and community education. His aim in setting up the college was to advance Ayurvedic education and promote the practice of Indian systems of medicine in Amravati and the wider Vidarbha region. The college was formally registered with the government in 1959 and has since remained one of the oldest Ayurvedic institutions in the district.

The establishment of the institutions are fascinating and significant for several reasons. Firstly, they offer a glimpse into the local history and figures involved with Ayurveda in the district. Secondly, this development, occurring during the colonial period, offers valuable insight into local efforts to formalize and preserve Ayurvedic practice; and is particularly notable given the political context of the time. Thirdly, at a time when Western medicine was gaining prominence, it shows how local communities actively preserved and formalized their indigenous medical traditions.

This institutionalization of Ayurvedic knowledge represents one facet of Amravati’s medical heritage. However, besides formal institutions, one of the significant yet  frequently overlooked aspects of healthcare traditions includes the role of age-old practices and home-based remedies. In India, as many say, indigenous knowledge and household remedies have for long formed the basis of many family healthcare practices. These local remedies and healing methods have persisted through time through intergenerational transmission.

Mahimapur of the Daryapur taluka of Amravati is home to an ancient stepwell whose origins are believed to date back to during the rule of the Yadavas. For a long time, it had been a vital part of the district’s water harvesting system, serving as an essential source of water storage before being damaged and falling into dilapidation.

Historically, locals say that a plant that they called Babar, which is similar in its looks to a moss, grew in the stepwell. It was revered by locals for its therapeutic qualities and they would use water from wells containing Babar to treat ailments like diarrhea and malaria.

However, with the advent of a water supply scheme that provided treated water to seven surrounding villages, Mahimapur, Mirzapur, Digi, Jahagpur, Vadoora, Uprai, and Takarkheda, the use of bleaching powder to purify water led to the gradual destruction of the Babar plant. Over the past six years, the well that once held this medicinal water has dried up, due to and this practice has faded away.

The determinants of health and health outcomes, as the World Health Organization (WHO) elaborates, are not solely shaped by more than just medical factors and healthcare services. The organization uses the term “social determinants of health (SDH)” to refer to the “non-medical factors that influence health outcomes.”  These non-medical factors can be sanitation, nutrition, community well-being, or, as the WHO outlines, “income and social protection,” “food security,” access to quality healthcare, and more.

While there have been ongoing efforts to strengthen the Amravati district’s healthcare infrastructure, certain areas still face challenges, particularly in addressing these broader health determinants. In response, non-governmental organizations have emerged as vital partners, working alongside public health systems to develop innovative, grassroots-level approaches that bridge these gaps.

The VISHRAM Project (Vidarbha Stress and Health Programme) is a community-based mental health initiative implemented in the Amravati district. It was initiated in response to concerns about mental health issues and rising suicide rates in the rural areas of the Vidarbha region, particularly among farming communities.

The project was initiated by the non-governmental organizations Prakriti and Sangath, to address mental health needs at the community level. In 2016, before implementation, a baseline survey was conducted in villages selected for intervention. The survey found that approximately 14.6% of individuals in these villages were experiencing symptoms of depression. These findings informed the project’s design and emphasized the need for accessible, locally delivered mental health services.

Based on the survey results, the VISHRAM Project was launched in 30 villages across the Amravati district. Its primary objectives are to increase awareness of mental health conditions, reduce stigma, promote help-seeking behavior, and improve access to evidence-based interventions for depression and alcohol-use disorders.

The intervention model uses community-based health workers and non-specialist counselors, who are trained to identify symptoms and provide basic support. These workers operate in coordination with general physicians and psychiatrists in nearby healthcare facilities, forming a collaborative care network. Additionally, mental health services are delivered through existing public health infrastructure to enable integration with broader health initiatives.