Expert Group meets to draft guidelines for maternal health

Excelsior Correspondent

Dignitary addressing Expert Group meeting of NRHM at Srinagar on Saturday.
Dignitary addressing Expert Group meeting of NRHM at Srinagar on Saturday.

SRINAGAR, July 26:  A 3-day Expert Group meeting for drafting Technical & Operational guidelines for various maternal health interventions like Calcium supplementation, Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, De-worming and Hypothyroidism in pregnancy commenced here today.
The meeting is a joint initiative of Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoH&FW), National Rural Health Mission, J&K, UNICEF and Department of Obstetrics & Gynecology, King George’s Medical University (KGMU), Lucknow.
Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission, J&K,  Dr Yashpal Sharma while welcoming the participants in the meeting thanked the Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare for providing guidelines on various health interventions from time to time, thereby enabling the administrators & field officers for better implementation of this ambitious human welfare programme.
He also thanked the organizers for choosing the State as venue for the meeting, adding that it will immensely help the officers and field agencies of the States’ Health Department to get first hand information about the latest trends in medical sciences.
Deputy Commissioner, Maternal Health, MoH&FW, Dr. Himanshu Bhushan speaking on the occasion said that the majority of deaths due to pregnancy related complications could be prevented by providing basic maternal and newborn care and high-quality family planning services. He said, in order to address these challenges, the MoH&FW in partnership with various development partners & organizations is formulating guidelines for ending Preventable Child and Maternal Deaths. He impressed upon the implementing agencies to follow the guidelines in letter & spirit for reducing maternal & new born child deaths.
Dr Sudha Balakrishnan, UNICEF & Dr Vinita Das Prof. & HoD, Obstetrics & Gynecology, KGMU assured complete support for improved RMNCH+A outcomes as part of National Strategy.
The presentation on draft guidelines on various Maternal Health interventions like Calcium supplementation, Gestational Diabetes Mellitus, De-worming and Hypothyroidism in pregnancy is being made by national experts in medical sciences & comments are being sought from other experts for incorporating the same for finalization of the guidelines.
The meeting-cum-workshop is being attended by national experts in maternal & child health, Consultants from Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare,  Programme Managers from State Health Society, NRHM, J&K and officers from UNICEF & Public Health Foundation of India. Others who were present on the occasion included Dr Mushtaq Ahmad Dar, Divisional Nodal Officer NRHM, Kashmir & Dr Harjeet Rai, Divisional Nodal Officer, NRHM, Jammu.