Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Sept 21: With a further decline in the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) by two points this year in the State, the Health Department has marked a significant achievement, which reveals the better execution of various schemes related to Child Health under National Rural Health Mission.
As per the latest reports of Sample Registration Survey (SRS) Bulletin-September 2013, IMR of the State has been reduced to 39, which was 41in the year 2011. The IMR of the State has come down by 13 points from 52 in 2006 to 39 in 2013 and is also better than the National average of 42.
To reach nearer to its goal, the NRHM J&K adopted the strategies framed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and achieved IMR of 39. The action plan opted to reduce IMR included strengthening of existing Facility Based Newborn Care Units (FBNC), capacity building of health care providers, emphasizing Home Based Newborn Care (HBNC), Management of Severe Malnutrition by establishment of Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre (NRC), strengthening of monitoring tools including HMIS and Mother Child Tracking System (MCTS), strengthening of labour rooms in delivery points and high case load facilities in Community Health Centres (CHCs) and District Hospitals (DHs) and launching special Immunization drives for high focus and drop out areas.
Dr Yashpal Sharma, Mission Director, NRHM when contacted, confirmed decline in IMR and said the efforts were afoot to bring it further down. “As per the directions of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, all the delivery points must have a functional New Born Care Corner consisting of essential equipment and staff trained in NSSK. All the staff must be trained in NSSK training package for skill development in providing essential care”, he said.
“In compliance to that, the State will train the doctors and staff nurses/ ANMs during the current financial year from the functional delivery points,” he said, adding more focus was being laid on capacity building of doctors and paramedical staff to enhance their skills in essential newborn care through Navjaat Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (NSSK) training.
“Better execution of Centrally sponsored schemes in all the hospitals of the State including Janani Suraksha Yojna (JSY) and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) have helped a lot in reducing IMR,” he added.
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