Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, July 18: The birth rate of Jammu and Kashmir has come down considerably from 18.3 per thousand in 2012-13 to 17.8 per thousand now, which has become possible due to education, infrastructure development in Health sector and communication between Health Department and society established by ASHA workers, particularly in the rural areas.
The information was given by concerned health authorities at monthly review meeting of Health Services, Kashmir held under the chairmanship of Minister of State for Health, Shabir Ahmad Khan here on Thursday.
The meeting was further told that two years earlier the birth rate was 18.3 per thousand and it has now come down to 17.8 per thousand. The authorities also expressed confidence that in the next year the birth rate will come down further and added that Jammu and Kashmir is among the few States of the country where birth rate has declined. The Government has attributed this significant achievement to the pioneering work of National Rural Health Mission, in the rural sector.
It was given out in the meeting that earlier, there used to be only one Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) working in a cluster. Now, the number of ANM has increased and ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) workers are working with devotion in the rural sector. They have established good communications between Health Department and society, which has resulted in lowering of the birth rate.
The meeting was also informed that at the same time, Infant Mortality Rate too has come down to 41 per thousand in 2011 while as Neonatal Mortality rate come down 32, and Health Department has fixed target to further come down infant motility rate to 33 per thousand besides neonatal motility rate to 26 per thousand during current financial year.
All these figures are the outcome of improved pregnancy management and higher numbers of institutional delivery. During first quarter of current fiscal 14273 deliveries were in hospitals, while this year the Health Department has a target to achieve maximum number of deliveries in Government health institutions, the meeting was told.
The meeting was informed that as many as 12,000 pregnant women have been benefited under Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) during current financial year up to June 2013. It was further informed that JSY is a safe motherhood intervention being implemented under NRHM with the objective of reducing maternal and neonatal mortality by promoting institutional deliveries among the pregnant women.
Speaking on the occasion, the Health Minister underscored the need for reducing Neonatal and Infant Mortality rates in the state by taking concrete health care measures. He stressed upon the concerned authorities to reach out at grassroots level for better implementation of NRHM, which guarantees to provide quality health care facilities to those in rural areas. He underscored the need to focus on decreasing the neonatal mortality by improving the facility based and home based newborn care.
The Health Minister said that facility for Newborn Care is being improved by setting up of Sick Newborn Care Units at district level, stabilization units at Community Health Centre level and Baby Care Units at delivery points including Primary Health Centres and Sub Centres. He said that the Home Based Newborn Care, which will prove to be a key intervention in decreasing the neonatal mortality, is being carried out with the help of Accredited Social Health Activist at community level.
The Minister directed the concerned HoDs to implement the flagship programme in letter and spirit, so that the benefits of the programme percolate down to the people.
Special Secretary Health and Medical Education, Director ISM, Dr Abdul Kabir Dar, Director Health Services Kashmir, Dr Saleem-ur-Rehman, Mission Director NRHM Dr. Yashpaul Sharma, Project Director State AIDS Control Society, Dr. Madhu Khullar, Financial Advisor Health and Medical Education Zahoor Ahmad Wani, Deputy Directors Health Services Kashmir, CMOs, Medical Superintendents of all districts besides other senior officers of Health, ISM, NRHM and Family Welfare Departments attended the meeting.
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