After considering the plight of the villagers who faced the brunt of the natural calamity that wrecked havoc in Uttarakhand, State health department has pulled up its socks for providing immediate medical relief to expecting mothers. Well-established sources revealed that Estimated Delivery Date (EDD) for 629 expecting mothers was called and out of that, 222 deliveries were successfully done by the department.
The department lays special focus in three districts of Garhwal division which includes Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Rudraprayag whereas only district Pithoragarh is being given special attention in Kumaon division of Uttarakhand.
The EDD prepared by the department clearly highlighted that EDD of 597 expecting mothers is due in these four districts. It is noteworthy that poor connectivity of roads especially in the mountainous areas of the State hindrance department efforts for providing immediate medical relief to the fringe areas of the districts. However, department officials claimed that the team of specialist doctors is already deployed in the disaster hit areas. The deployed team is not only responsible for providing medical relief to villagers but also to look after the expecting mothers.
Well established sources revealed that in a latest decision taken by the Union Government, the Government will provide free pre-natal health care and ambulance facilities to expecting mothers. Under the Janani Suraksha Yojna (JSY) scheme, the expecting mothers are provided free medical treatment during the delivery and post natal care. In addition to this, pregnant women will be given “free medical and ambulance facilities”.
They will also be able to avail free consultation from doctors at Government hospitals for 45 days from delivery and infants will be given free treatment at the hospitals for one year. Although the announcement has made smile on the faces of the expecting mothers but the department will have to struggle to fulfill the project as the situation is worst in the disaster hit areas of the state.
The expecting mothers can easily avail the medical facilities at Community Health Centres (CHCs) Agustmuni and Jakholi in Rudraprayag district, CHCs Chinyalisaud, Naguaon and Purola in Uttarkashi district, CHCs Karanprayag, Joshimath, Tharali, Pokhari and Gairsain in Chamoli district and CHCs Didihat, Gangolihat, Munsyari and Dharchula in Pithoragarh districts of the State.
One of the department sources who wished anonymity told The Pioneer that the Chief Medical Officers of all districts are regularly instructed for providing best medical care to the expecting mothers. “Department has been laying special focus in Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Uttarkashi and Pithoragarh districts of the state as the intensity of the devastation is intense in these four districts,” he reiterated, adding that the health workers have been coordinating with the expecting mothers for the institutional delivery.
He said that the department has been focusing for the institutional delivery in the disaster affected areas. He assured that the all four disaster hit districts of the state is having full stock of life saving drugs. He told that department is also coordinating with GVKEMRI-108 service to assist the expecting mothers for institutional delivery.