With satisfactory 65 per cent institutional deliveries in Bastar district, the officers of the district have commenced an elaborate exercise to increase it further in the district. District Collector Ankit Anand expressed satisfaction over the status and directed the officers of Health Department to take all possible steps to increase the number of institutional deliveries in the district.
Chairing a meeting of Health Department officials at district headquarters here, the Collector directed the officers to publicize the toll free number 102 and to encourage the women and their family members to avail benefit of the ambulance service. He also directed the officers to ensure 100 per cent vaccination including BCG, Hepatitis B, Measles etc of babies delivered in hospitals.
Anand gave reference of Darbha and Bastanar areas with only 40 per cent and 45.5 per cent institutional deliveries besides Bhanpuri area and directed the officers to increase institutional deliveries in these areas. For TB patients, Anand said that the patients should be provided DOT medicines and the medication should go without any break.
Regular counselling of patients should be done so that they do not stop medicine once they get some relief from the disease. Instead of family members, the Mitanins or health staff should become the attendant of TB patients so that the course of medicine is completed without break, he said.
It was informed in the meeting that there was no training hall in block headquarters for training of field officers. The Collector informed the officers that Rs10 lakh each has been sanctioned for each sub division for construction of Training Hall. This hall will facilitate training of revenue officers as well as officers of other departments also.
Anand also asked the officers to take preventive steps to check malaria before onset of the season. He said that medicated mosquito nets should be distributed with help of public representatives in Nangur area. CMHO Dr Devendra Nag informed that there is no report of swine flu in the district. Adequate amount of Tami-flu tablet is available for treatment of the disease. The hospitals and doctors have been alerted for the disease. The officers also informed that HIV screening facility is being provided at community health centers also. Collector said that awareness should be created about HIV.
It was informed in the meeting that he second phase of pulse polio campaign is on February 22. Collector said that it should be ensured that all children under 5 years are administered polio drops. It may be mentioned that even last year, Bastar division topped among other divisions of Chhattisgarh to have hugely promoted institutional delivery in the region, officials claimed.
For this, the ‘Mahatari Express-102’ service has proved most effective in promoting institutional delivery in the tribal dominated Bastar division, they stated. On account of the services of ‘Mahatari Express-102’ safe and institutional delivery of pregnant women of rural and urban areas could be ensured in hospitals and health centres. The service has successfully been operating in Bastar division since Sept 24, 2013. Not only pregnant women, but the ‘Mahatari Express-102’ vehicles carry sick children below one year to the nearest Health Centre.
Divisional Manager of Mahatari Express-102 B Santosh Kumar had informed that total 59 Mahatari Express-102 had been operating in Bastar division. A total 6,351 pregnant women in the division have been benefited through Mahatari Express till August 2014.
A total of 15 Mahatari Express vehicles have benefited 2,026 pregnant women in Bastar district. Similarly, six Mahatari Express vehicles operating in Bijapur district have benefited 459 pregnant women, 761 in Dantewada district, 899 in Kondagaon district, 160 in Narayanpur district, 550 in Sukma district and 1,496 in Kanker district last year.
Kumar had stated that Mahatari Express has benefited 1,263 new-born children. More than 4.27 lakh people availed the benefit of Mahtari Express, a service to provide immediate medical care to the expectant mothers at the time of delivery last year. The free ambulance service is very beneficial for the pregnant women and children in the age group of one year, officials said. The officials said that Chief Minister Raman Singh had launched the Mahtari scheme in Bilaspur on August 23, 2013 and in Raipur on September 23, 2013. As many as 300 Mahtari Express ambulances equipped with necessary medical facilities have been deployed at government hospitals. The ambulance reached the residence of the beneficiary on receiving call on Toll Free number 102 and carried the pregnant woman or ill child to the hospital along with family members. Since the beginning of the service, more than 1.98 lakh pregnant women have been transported from their residence to hospital by the Mahtari Express.