The Centre has directed the northeastern states to strengthen health services under National Rural Health Mission and scale up the performance of programmes under the scheme.
The Health Ministry had recently reviewed the performance of the schemes in Assam, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Tripura, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.
Under the Janani-Shishu Suraksha Karyakram, the states have been directed to ensure that diagnostic services are available even after routine hours and to strengthen the referral transport (RT) system.
In case of centres for deliveries, the ministry directed that states cannot alter the number of delivery points frequently. If a state has once decided that a particular facility is a delivery point, then it should only add new delivery points into the list without deleting old ones.
The Ministry also recommended scaling up performance for handing out entitlements of free drugs, free diagnostics, free RT (home to facility) and drop back under the scheme for sick neonates and infants up to one year.
It suggested that lab technicians working under different schemes should be used comprehensively so that lab facilities are available round-the-clock in healthcare facilities up to community health centres.
In case there are no lab facilities, states should explore Public Private Partnership (PPP) for ensuring diagnostic services, it said.
For the National Ambulance Services, all the eight states have been asked to share the latest design and get it approved by the Centre before implementing. The states have also been asked to re-look into rational deployment of ambulances according to the guidelines and their usage.
The Ministry has directed the states to analyse district- level annual health survey data, identify gaps and prepare action plan accordingly.
Under this, the eight states will circulate to districts block-wise expected number of per day anti-natal care and post natal care entry under Mother and Child Tracking system.
For monitoring severe anaemia, all states are to ensure availability of hemoglobin testing facility at sub centres and hold special orientation programme for Auxiliary Nurse Midwifes on repercussions of severe anaemia on pregnancy.
