KBK to get 1069 health sub-centres

BHUBANESWAR: The State Government has decided to construct 1069 health sub-centre buildings under the State Rural Health Mission (SRHM) in the KBK (undivided Kalahandi, Balangir and Koraput districts) region to make health care available in the inaccessible and backward pockets. The sub-centres will also have residential quarters for health workers.

After completion of the project, all the health sub-centres in the KBK region will have their own buildings. This was decided at the fourth meeting of the SRHM presided over by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik.

It was decided that the school health programme will be launched in 60,000 schools from July. This will benefit 58 lakh students all over the state. Five trauma centres will be opened in district hospitals. Besides, it was decided that 200 newborn care corners will be set up in different regions of the state.

However, despite steps taken by the State Government the infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternity mortality rate (MMR) are still on the higher side.

Though the rate of institutional delivery has increased to 76 per cent and child immunisation has gone up to 72 per cent, there is scope for more improvement. The Chief Minister asked the health department officials to initiate measures to further bring down IMR and MMR. The State Government has decided to launch a campaign to persuade pregnant women to visit health centres in rural areas. The ‘asha karmis’ and ‘yoshodas’ will be imparted training to implement the programme. The Chief Minister asked the school and mass education and women and child development departments to work in coordination with the health department for improvement in the nutrition status of child and mother.

As malaria and other diseases have reappeared in rural areas, steps will be taken to train the gaon kalyan samitis to deal with the situation. Emphasis will be on maintaining sanitation in the villages to combat malaria and other diseases.

Besides appointment of more doctors, mobile health units will be pressed into service to deal with shortage of doctors in tribal pockets. Sundargarh, Dhenkanal, Mayurbhanj, Jharsuguda, Ganjam, Sonepur, Jajpur and Bargarh districts have been identified as malaria prone though the death rate has come down.

Among others, Health and Family Welfare Minister Prasanna Acharya, Finance Minister Prafulla Chandra Ghadei, Planning and Coordination Minister AU Singhdeo, Women and Child Development Minister Pramila Mallik, Panchayati Raj Minister Prafulla Samal and senior officials attended.

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