Days after the Gorakhpur deaths, Union Health Secretary C. K. Mishra noted that there was urgent need for innovative approaches to make facilities at the peripheries work to avoid crowding of tertiary care facilities, which impacts the quality of healthcare.
Stating this at a review meeting of the National Health Mission (NHM), he added: “We need to take a critical look at problem areas at all layers and resolve them through innovative approaches and new ideas.”
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National review meet
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The national review meeting was attended by State Health Secretaries and NHM Mission directors from all States/Union Territories (UTs).
Issues discussed included reduction of infant and maternal mortality, improving immunisation and uptake of family planning measures in selected States /UTs, and strengthening sub-centres as Health and Wellness Centres. States have also been urged to focus on labour room protocol for intrapartum care, carry out 100% maternal death audit for understanding the cause of maternal deaths, and monitor inborn and out born deaths of sick newborns separately.
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Strengthening measures
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“States must focus on strengthening routine immunisation. There is a gap in initiation of early breastfeeding, which needs to be actively bridged through interventions/programmes such Mothers’ Absolute Affection (MAA). Complementary feeding and its quality are also issues that States need to address,” Mr. Mishra said.
He urged them to co-opt the private sector as the elimination of tuberculosis (TB) was not possible otherwise. Issues on the agenda of the review meeting included reduction of the Maternal Mortality Rate, Infant Mortality Rate, improving the immunisation screening for non-communicable diseases, progress in TB elimination and status of preparedness for swine flu among others.