Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Nov 25: Financial Commissioner, Health and Medical Education Department, Atal Dulloo today chaired a meeting to review status and roadmap for reducing Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and performance of key schemes under Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Health & Adolescent Health Activities.
The schemes are being implemented under National Health Mission (NHM) in Jammu & Kashmir.
The FC emphasised on commitment of government to eliminate preventable deaths of newborns and children in line with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
During the meeting, the FC took a threadbare review of the action plan that enlists the community based and health facility-based interventions for reducing the child mortality rate. He said that the department, with active support of National Health Mission, has put in strenuous efforts to provide essential newborn care at Government health institutions across the J&K through Facility-Based and Home-Based Newborn Care.
The meeting was informed that the community-based interventions which need strengthening include birth preparedness, Home-Based Care for Young Child, National Deworming Day, Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight, universal immunisation programme, VHNDs, IMNCI and Anemia Mukt Bharat to further reduce child mortality indicators.
It was informed in the meeting that 9.43 lakh sanitary napkin packets have been distributed under Menstrual Hygiene Scheme in 10 districts of the State during the current Financial Year and adequate supplies of Iron Folic Acid Supplementation has been provided to the districts under Anemia Mukt Bharat Programme.
For better coordination and avoid redundancy, the FC directed that data regarding pregnant women along with their bank accounts shall be shared with the Social Welfare Department (SWD) so that the beneficiaries under Pradhan Mantri Matritva Vandana Yojana can be provided financial incentives through Direct Benefit Transfer by SWD.
Commissioner Secretary, Social Welfare Department, Manoj Kumar Diwedi asserted that no beneficiary should be left and said that meetings should be held to review the status of the various schemes.
Mission Director, National Health Mission J&K, Bhupinder Kumar presented the physical & financial progress with regard to various programmes under NHM. He informed the Chair that dedicated Obstetric Care ICU has been made functional at SMGS Hospital Jammu and similar facility is coming up at Lal Ded hospital Srinagar.
The meeting was attended by Principal Government Medical College, Jammu, Dr Sunanda Raina, Director Health Services, Jammu, Dr Renu Khajuria, Mission Director ICDS, Ms Shabnum Kamili; MD J&KMSCL, Shiv Kumar, Joint Director (Planning) H&ME, Madan Lal and other officers.
Principal Government Medical College, Srinagar Prof Parvez Ahmad Shah, Director Health Services, Kashmir, Dr Samir Mattoo, Chief Medical Officers and other concerned participated in the meeting via video-conferencing.