HP health panel stresses on need for good infrastructure

The recently set up Himachal Pradesh Health Commission today held its first meeting here today and drew up a roadmap for improvement of health services in the state.
The commission, which held its first meeting here today, stressed on the need for good institutional mechanism and sound healthcare infrastructure and pointed out at gaps in the internal system and shortage of human resource.
Commission chairman M K Bhan said the state had infrastructure, but there were gaps in internal systems and human resource which need to be filled up in a planned way.
Talking to media persons after the meeting, he said the commission lauded the good performance of the hill state in the fields of maternal and child health and said the coverage of immunisation programmes and institutional births were good in the state.

"HP is among top three states of India in this and can further improve with the kind of equitable society it has. The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) in the state, which is over 30, can be brought down to 15 in next some years," Bhan said.
"The new mothers could be taught in child care by ASHA workers. It would be a major initiative in the next two-three years in HP," he said.

He said regular death audit in this regard could throw light on the gaps.
Bhan said standardisation of treatment and cost was a big challenge in the state, where there is a large dependence on the public sector.

He said the state government must consider setting up of inter-medical school council for better functioning.
The commission also lauded the 108 emergency ambulance service in the state.
The commission members earlier met Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh to deliberate on relevant issues.