Members of the Gulbarga District Child Protection Unit has urged the State government to upgrade healthcare facilities, and fill all vacant posts in government hospitals in the district to bring down the infant and maternal mortality rates.
District convener of the unit Anandraj and zonal convener Vittal Chikkani led a demonstration outside the office of the District Health and Family Welfare Department in Gulbarga on Tuesday.
The protesters were demanding that the State government implement recommendations of the Justice N.K. Patil Committee, appointed by the Karnataka High Court, to conduct regular medical check-up on children up to the age of six, and provide prenatal and postnatal care for women. “This would bring down the maternal and infant mortality rate”.
In a memorandum submitted to the District Health and Family Welfare Officer, Mr. Anandraj and Mr. Chikkani demanded that the healthcare facilities in the rural areas, particularly in the primary health centres should be upgraded, and malnourished children and pregnant women suffering from anaemia and other ailments should be provided quality medical treatment and medicines for free.
The protesters said in the memorandum that the government should create awareness about the existence of special departments to treat malnourished children in all the district hospitals, and about the other healthcare facilities available there.
All the PHCs in the districts should be equipped with diagnostic equipment and trained personnel. As per the recommendations of the World Health Organisation, all primary health centres should provide its patients medicines for free.
