Health officials seem to have shelved the commissioner’s instructions to set up 19 childbirth units at health centres in far-flung areas to help pregnant women.
At a review meeting of health department last month, Commissioner Kavindra Kiyawat directed the officials to establish 19 childbirth centres by November 29.Nonetheless, the health officials have yet to follow Kiyawat’s instructions.
The childbirth cases from Ashta, Nasrullahganj and Ichhawar health centres are referred to the Sehore district hospital.
29 cases referred in five days
According to official data, between November 27 and December 1, different health centres across the district referred 29 cases to Sehore hospital.
On November 28, the district hospital received two cases from Ashta, two from Nasrullahganj and three from Ashta on November 29.
Likewise, on December 1, it received one case from community health centre in Ichhawar and three from Ashta. There are two female doctors, a child specialist and two directors in civil hospital at Ashta. Similarly, there here are two female doctors in Nasrullahganj and two in Ichhawar health centres.
There is no dearth of resources in these health centres, but childbirth cases are sent to Sehore from the health centres in those two places.
The Sehore district hospital received 144 referral cases last month. Out of all those cases, 64 were from Ashta hospital.
On the other hand, 12 cases were from Nasrullahganj and one each from Doraha and Ahmadpur. Sehore hospital receives 600 childbirth and 30% of other cases from nearby districts and Tehsils.
Most of the cases are received from Rajgarh and Shajapur districts.Nearly 600 childbirth cases are received in paediatric department of Sehore hospital. Out of 600, between 150 and 200 are from other hospitals.
Nearly 30% of other cases are referred from Rajgarh and Shajapur to Sehore. Against this backdrop, the district hospital is continuously under pressure. At the review meeting, Kiyawat told the officials that if the health centres are not set up and if the employees are not present at the district headquarters, they may lose their jobs.
When the issue was raised before chief medical and health officer Sudhir Dehria, he said the community health centres had been improved and childbirth centres set up.
