Centre recommends measures to states to beef up healthcare

The Centre has recommended a slew of measures to the states to strengthen healthcare services, including setting up special newborn care units.
At a recently held review meeting of the National Health Mission (NHM), Union Health Secretary C K Mishra emphasised on the need for newborn-care units (SNCUs) and urged the states to focus on labour room protocols.
He suggested that maternal death audits be carried out to ascertain the reasons behind such deaths.
The review meeting was attended by the health secretaries and NHM directors from all the states and union territories.
While there had been a considerable improvement as reflected in the steady decline in the Maternal Mortality Rate, the Under-5 Mortality Rate and the Total Fertility Rate and in battling diseases such as TB, AIDS and malaria, the prevention and control of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) required a better response, Mishra said.

"The disease burden on account of NCDs is increasing, resulting in a substantial economic loss to families and the nation as a whole," he added.

As far as immunisation was concerned, Mishra stressed that the Mission Indradhanush -- full immunisation of children -- was not a programme, but a campaign towards increasing the immunisation coverage. He added that the states must focus on strengthening the routine immunisation mechanism.
Mishra exhorted the states to start measuring service delivery and monitoring performances.
He also urged them to co-opt the private sector as the elimination of tuberculosis (TB) was not possible otherwise.
The issues on the agenda of the review meeting included reduction of the Maternal Mortality Rate, Infant Mortality Rate, improving the immunisation screening for NCDs, progress in TB elimination and status of preparedness for swine flu among others.