Health and Family Welfare Minister Naba Kishore Das on Wednesday directed officers to make the “Sampurna” scheme more proactive to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates.
Chairing a review meeting, the Minister also directed the officers to form a committee and submit a report within a month.
It was revealed that the infant mortality rate (IMR) per a thousand birth and the maternal mortality rate (MMR) per a lakh of pregnant women have reduced in the State over the years.
The MMR was 222 in 2011-13 and it reduced to 180 in 2014-16. It has now been targeted to reduce the MMR to 117 by 2020 and to 70 by 2030.
The IMR was reduced from 51 during 2011-13 to 41 in 2017. Now, a target has been set to reduce it to 30 by 2020.
The IMR and MMR are reducing rapidly in the country and in Odisha as well. While the national average of IMR was 33 in 2017, the rate in Odisha was 41. Due to implementation of the ‘Sampurna’ yojana, the IMR has been reduced successfully.
To make the yojana more proactive, appointment of doctors in FRU and trained nurses in the maternal OT and SNCU has been emphasised. Besides, coordination among line departments has been emphasized to check anemia and malnutrition in women.
Creating awareness for reduction in IMR and MMR and strengthening of FRU and activating of ultramodern ICUs have been stressed under the ‘Sampurna’ programme.
Among others, Healt Advisor to Government K Srinath Reddy, Secrtary Dr Pramod Kumar Meherda, NHM Director Shalini Pandit, State Medical Corporation MD Yamini Saranig, Joint Director Guha Punam Tapas Kumar and IIPH, Bhubaneswar Director Dr Subas Salunke were present.