Chandigarh, 16 May: Government of India appreciated the performance of National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) Punjab for the year 2011-12, especially owing to good achievements in the areas of Reproductive & Child Health including programmes like Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (A cashless delivery services to Pregnant Women), Maternal Death Review, Emergency Response Services, Maternal & Child Tracking System, Infrastructure Upgradation and Immunization in particular.
A meeting of National Programme Coordination Committee (NPCC) was held under the Chairpersonship of Ms. Anuradha Gupta, Union Additional Secretary, Health & Mission Director, NRHM, Government of India to approve State Programme Implementation Plan of NRHM, Punjab for the year 2012-13, wherein an ambitious plan of Rs. 454.14 Crore was approved under NRHM Punjab.
Giving Information in this regard, Mr. Madan Mohal Mittal, Health and Family Welfare Minister, Punjab stated that as part of the ambitious & innovative strategy devised by NRHM, Punjab now special emphasis will be laid on the management of anaemia among pregnant women. All pregnant women whose Haemoglobin (HB) is found less than 7 gms at the time of first Ante Natal Check-up (ANC-1) shall be followed by health workers with the objective that the Haemoglobin is brought to level of 9 gms by the time of delivery. If this objective is met special incentive will be given to the concerned ASHA. In an another new initiative towards better mother & child health, children whose weight at birth is less than 2.25 kg, would now be followed by health workers with the objective that during the next three months baby achieves normal weight. ASHA will be incentivized for this.
Sh. Mittal further added that owing to the number of Cancer cases in the State, a special scheme for regular screening of Cervical Cancer & Breast Cancer has been approved. To enable early detection of Cancer, now the health workers would be incentivized for bringing such cases to the fore. The Health Minister further stated that since the menace of drug abuse has reached alarming proportions in the State, a special scheme has been introduced for identification and motivating the addicts for rehabilitation. As it has been evident that chances of such addicts again taking to drugs had been high, therefore now a regular follow up and completion of treatment will be attempted by the health workers for which they will be provided incentives.
Government of India has appreciated the out of box thinking and these new initiatives proposed by the State taking into consideration the local Public Health requirements. The officers of GOI also expressed their keenness to replicate these innovative schemes in other States also.
Delegates of Health and Family Welfare Department, Punjab led by Ms. Vini Mahajan, Principal Secretary and Sh. S.K. Sharma, Mission Director, NRHM, Punjab along with Ms. Raji P. Srivastava, Managing Director, Punjab Health Systems Corporation besides the Director Health & Family Welfare, Punjab and Director, Research & Medical Education, Punjab attended the NPCC meeting.
