Drastic development of Chhattisgarh State under the leadership of CM Dr Raman Singh has been recognised at national and international-level, while people of state including the supporters of ruling party as well as those in opposition couldn’t help but praise the progress of ‘state at its teens’. Right from implementation of Public Distribution System (PDS) to ensuring transparent system of paddy procurement, to the implementation of innovative concept of 'Mitanin Yojana', Chhattisgarh State has been ranked on the top for converting its public welfare schemes into ground reality. Even the Central Government has praised the schemes of Chhattisgarh Government and has adopted the same as role model for the country as a whole.
However, the development journey of Chhattisgarh is not just confined to aforementioned sectors. Even in the field of health service, Chhattisgarh has undergone tremendous progress in last one decade, which is much evident from the latest Health Index. State Government is working in all dimensions to make the health services easily accessible for public. On one side, Government is developing infrastructure for health sector, while on the other side expert medical professionals and doctors are being appointed. In addition, supply and availability of generic medicines is also being ensured in all District Headquarters, so that people may avail the low-cost yet quality medicine. Moreover, State Government has facilitated mobile medical units in 85 tribal development blocks of state, living up to its commitment of making the health services accessible for even the last person of the last row.
At the time of State's formation, Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) was 79, which as now declined to 48 at present. likewise, Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) which was 407 per lakh at the time of formation has now declined to 269 per lakh at present. State Government has implemented new reporting system/software to ensure health security to infants and pregnant ladies. Moreover, an online tracking system is also being developed under ‘Mahtari laika Karyakram’ for registration of pregnant ladies and children to provide them timely health and medical services. In the same sequence, ‘Mahtari-laika register’ and ‘Vaccination Registers’ have been prepared in each sub-health centre of state. These two registers will contain the combined information recorded in 18 registers, which were earlier maintained at the sub-health centers. Aforementioned registers will be prepared for each village, and will be used for registration of pregnant ladies and infants, maintaining records of legal abortion/delivery, four checkups after delivery, various pediatric diseases, record of death of infant or mother within 12 months/1year of delivery etc. Moreover, village-wise record of dates and places, where the programmes of vaccination, vitamin A, and Village Health and Nutrition day were organised, will be maintained in the 'Vaccination Register'. This E-Mehtari Software has been developed by Health Department in association with NICK. In this software, entries will be done on the basis of given columns in laika -Mahtari register. Once registration of mother and child is done using this software, it would become much easier to generate village-wise monthly job chart (that shows the prescribed services for the month and the beneficiaries left). ANMs will refer this job chart to find out which of the services could not be provided to the beneficiaries in previous month, so as to provide the same in the next month. Pregnant ladies are provided 1 kg of 'Mahtari laika Salt' (with iron and iodine) every month for free of cost.
Mobile based Mother and Infant Health Reporting System, has been initiated in Dhamtari district as pilot project, through which the ANMs are submitting the daily report of health services. This system has enabled the ANMs to send information through mobile phone which gets directly updated in the State's server. Even the job charts are forwarded to ANMs using mobile phones. This advanced reporting system has now been implemented in the entire state.
Mahtari-laika Swasthya Diwas is organised in all primary health centers of state on a particular day of every week, to provide health checkup facility for women under supervision of expert gynecologists and female doctors. Till date, more than seven thousand such camps have been organized wherein about one lakh pregnant ladies have been provided complete health checkup, medical examination and treatment facilities.
For improvement of health facilities in state, Government has hiked the budget by 34 per cent. In last one decade, the health infrastructure in state has undergone significant development. About 1318 sub-health centers, 252 primary health centers, 41 community health centers and 20 District Hospitals have been established in state. The budget of current financial year has provisions for establishment of 25 new sub-health centers, 20 primary health centers and also for the upgradation of District Hospital Durg from 300-bed capacity to 400-bed, of Pakhanjur Civil Hospital from capacity of 50-bed to 100-bed, of Kirandul Primary Heath Centre to capacity of 30-bed and upgradation of primary health centre, Kumhari to community health centre.
In the same sequence, the budget has provisions also for construction of buildings for 140 sub-health centers, 25 primary health centers and 6 community health centers, hospitals of capacity 100-bed in Mana (Raipur) and Seepat (Bilaspur) and women hostel building in Medical College, Raipur and Nursing College, Kawardha. To provide health services in the remote naxal-hit areas, department concerned of state government regularly organises health checkup camps in 77 development blocks through mobile medical units. Soon such mobile medical units will be facilitated in all 85 scheduled tribe development blocks.
Under Mukhyamantri Swasthya Beema Suraksha Yojana initiated by state government for providing free of cost health insurance facility to all the families of state, about 5 lakh smart cards have been distributed till date. Government has the goal of distributing smart cards to all the families by May, 2013. Similarly, under Mukhyamantri Shahri Swasthya Karyakram, 200 health facility centers, 30 urban primary health and 'Jachcha-Bachcha' centers are being established in urban areas of state. About 3000 urban Mitanins have been selected for these centers. Moreover, from next year onwards, free of cost generic medicines will be made available in government health institutions for all the patients. To benefit more number of BPl patients of state, government is operating 'Sanjeevani Kosh' under which financial aid is provided to BPl patients suffering from any of the 13 main or 17 other listed diseases. Besides, the maximum financial aid for brain stroke and kidney transplant has also been hiked to Rs3 lakh and Rs2 lakh respectively, while provision in the budget for Sanjeevani Kosh has been increased from Rs5 crore to Rs10 crores.
