Committzd to bring down infant and mother mortality rate Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that the government has made ASHA and ANMs “smarter” by proving them smart phone as now they would be just a call away from the crisis.
“Our Prime Minister wants to develop some cities as smart cities and here we are strengthening the delivery system by making Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) and Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANMs) smart. If they improve their delivery system the infant and mother mortality rate will come down in no time,” Yadav said during launch of M-Sehat project at his official residence here on Tuesday.
The M-Sehat project was launched as a pilot scheme in five districts - Bareilly, Kannauj, Mirzapur, Sitapur and Faizabad. Under the project 10,000 ASHA, 2000 ANMs, 300 medical officials/in-charge medical officers would be given smart phones or tablets. They would be given training as how to use these gadgets and other Aps being launched by the government. The scheme, sponsored by Health department, would be monitored by SIFPSA
Around 10 lakh people in the identified five districts would be benefited during the pilot project. “The Government is committed to improve health system in state. Many a time precious lives are lost during complication in pregnancy. By the time villagers inform ANMs and who in turn inform doctor precious time is lost and more often than not it proves fatal,” he said. Chief Minister said that this scheme will help in strengthening mother-child tracking system. “We are making ANMs and ASHA workers smart and this will definitely help in arresting declining trend in mother and infant mortality rate,” he said.
CM narrated in detail about the achievements of the government and even lauded that UP government’s scheme to provide laptops to the students. State health minister Ahmed Hasan said that his government has revived the health department as earlier during the BSP regime doctors were not ready to work in the government sector. In that time practice of government doctors doing private practice was rampant. “We have stopped this trend. We sent several doctors to jail.
The message has gone deep down up to the PHC level that we mean business and now government doctors are working with sincerity,” he said. Chief Minister has launched the biggest health service through M -Sehat. It is set to change the face of the district where it is launched. More districts will be incorporated in the project next year. “The connectivity with ASHA and ANM workers will improve once this project is launched in a big way. I am sure now we will be able to protect lives of many pregnant women, lactating mothers and infants,” he said.