Women, children in focus of NRHM

Guwahati, August 9, 2006

The National Rural Health Mission is basically focused on improving health of rural women, children and adolescents besides improving the primary health infrastructure in the states.

Addressing a technical session on NRHM organized by Press Information Bureau, Govt. of India, Guwahati at Uparhali, Mirza in Kamrup district, Assam State Programme Manager, Dr P N Bora said that village committees headed by Gaon Panchayat presidents were required to be constituted for implementation of the programme at the grass root level. He said that Assam government is planning to appoint 855 ANM and 435 GNM nurses in health centres under the NRHM and have already appointed some retired doctors in rural areas to take care of shortfall of doctors. As many as 69 community health centers (CHCs) in the state will be upgraded to Indian Public Health Standard under NRHM besides setting up of 65 referral units. Already 30 such referral units have been set up. The state government selected health workers called ASHA for deployment in eleven districts of the state. More such health workers will be selected for deployment in other districts of the state.

Earlier, addressing the session Sri Partha Gogoi, Regional Director, Central Health and Family Welfare Department said that substantial amount of money had been provided to states under the NRHM to improve health infrastructure, increase the staff strength and provide medicines.

Presiding over the information dissemination session, Dr Chiranjeeb Kakoty, Chairman of the North East Society for Promotion of Youth and Masses (NESPYM) called for mass participation in implementation of the NRHM through which the government has come forward to take up massive work to improve quality of health of Indian people. He emphasized on the need for popularization of vaccination.

BN/NJS