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The Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Smt. Panabaka Lakshmi has said that the Government has identified health care as an important thrust area in the 150 most backward districts of five States with an emphasis on promotion of institutional and safe deliveries in these Districts as a major component of this programme. The Minister said this while inaugurating the Annual Conference of the Association of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Delhi, here today.
The Minister said that Government also proposes to launch a Rural Health Care Mission in 17 States which include the 8 Empowered Action Group States, 8 North Eastern States and Jammu & Kashmir. The basic objective of the proposed Mission is that the people living in urban and rural states have access to basic package of essential health services. She added that the Mission also seeks to bring about a convergence not only between the activities of different Central Government Departments but also among the Panchayati Raj institutions and Non-Government Organisations. The details of this Mission are being finalized and will be declared in a few weeks time. The Minister also stated that the Janani Suraksha Yojna which will be implemented very soon is also a scheme for providing assistance to pregnant women for seeking deliveries in the Institutions.
Elaborating the RCH Programme Phase –II, which will be taken up from April, 2005, the Minister said that by the Year 2010, the Government propose to make 50% of the existing Primary Health Centres (PHC) into 24-hours Delivery Centres for promoting institutional deliveries. In addition, about 2,000 Community Health Centres are to be made fully operational for emergency Obstetric Care.
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