There has been a dramatic increase in the percentage of institutional deliveries throughout Telangana in the last nine months after the launch of ‘KCR Kits’ to pregnant women by about 27.31%, announced Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare V. Karuna here on Thursday.
She was addressing a workshop on ‘Effective Implementation of National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) in Telangana State’ organised in association with the Administrative Staff College of India (ASCI). The programme was attended by Mayors, commissioners, health and municipal officers from across the State.
Under the programme for safe motherhood and healthy child, pregnant women registering themselves at the public health facilities are paid ₹ 3,000, given free health checkup, medicines and a kit consisting of branded essential baby items like oil along with a pad with a mosquito hood.
Hailing the ‘KCR Kits’ initiative and congratulating the health department, Minister for IT, Mines and Municipal Administration K.T. Rama Rao, called for ‘convergence’ of working between the municipal and health departments for looking after the healthcare of the urban poor as the Government was once again making a serious effort to promote public health institutions through improved service delivery.
Pointing out that urbanisation was a reality and soon half the population of the country could be living in urban areas, he said from his department side he was ready to hand over the 144-odd urban health posts to the GHMC in the capital from the health department for better healthcare facilities. Centre’s joint secretary (health) K. Rajeshwar Rao said convergence of municipal and health departments would mark a paradigm shift in providing better and effective medicare in urban areas, reduce out of pocket expenditure and better utilisation of funds. Health secretary Rajeshwar Tiwari, GHMC Commissioner B. Janardhan Reddy also spoke.
Earlier, Ms. Karuna made a presentation on how aesthetics of primary health centres and other health care units were being toned up.
