Indore : Joint-Secretary of Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare Manoj Jhalani has directed the health officials to focus on Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR). He also directed the officials to take steps to control female foeticide.
Chairing a meeting of the CMHOs and programme officials of the division at the Divisional Commissioner’s office on Wednesday, Jhalani asked the officials to take steps in motivating women to get registered with the department in the first month of their pregnancy.
“If women get registered in the first month of their pregnancy, they can be monitored properly and they couldn’t go for sex determination. Health workers will have to follow each pregnant woman to avoid female foeticide,” he told the officials.
He said we have to check the MMR and IMR rate. Along with registration in the first month of pregnancy, the health officials will have to make sure about the delivery of woman and in any case, she or her baby die then they should investigate about the reason and should report to the department.”
Jhalani also expressed displeasure over poor collection of MMR and IMR data in various districts of the division, mainly Jhabua and Alirajpur. He said that the data collection is only 50 percent in these areas and this should be improved at the earliest.
“With proper reporting of data, we will get information about the reasons of death of mother and child.” Jhalani also took the account of the status of government hospitals and the implementation of free drug distribution scheme.
Before taking the meeting of health officials, the Joint Secretary also visited Government Mental Health Department, located at Banganga, to inspect renovation work and facilities there.
However, the inspection of the hospital remained a formality as the officials kept him busy in the two-hour-long meeting which was followed by a few minutes inspection.
During inspection, the duty staff couldn’t answer the questions of the Joint Secretary over the reason of providing toys to children seeking treatment there.
Meanwhile, a trainer tried to save the staff but was stopped by Jhalani to know the reality. Later, he warned the trainer to give proper training to the staff.
In the evening, Principal Secretary of Medical Education Department Vinod Semwal and Jhalani also inspected the renovation works of MY Hospital along with the Joint Director, Health Dr Sharad Pandit. He inspected the facilities in the Gynaecology Department and appreciated the renovation works in the hospital.
