Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Jan 30: In a move meant to reduce incidents of maternal mortality rate (MMR) in the state, the department of family welfare is planning to provide comprehensive abortion care facilities at all Community Health Centres (CHC) across the state soon.
The announcement was made by health and family welfare department commissioner-cum-secretary Arati Ahuja during a workshop on the comprehensive abortion care facilities here Friday.
Classifying women as the more vulnerable class in the society than men, Ahuja said if a preventable death occurs, it is the fault of the health system. “If we want to improve healthcare system and the vital statistics, we need to address the health of women for which various schemes have been introduced by the Governments of India and Orissa,” said Ahuja.
“We are continuously addressing issues of women in the state, the latest being the introduction of safe abortion practice for women at the CHCs. We have planned to provide adequate drugs and logistics at that level and will conduct mass campaigns for greater success. The state has been planning to set up 13 regional centres across the state,” said Ahuja.
Presiding over the meeting joint secretary of the ministry of health and family welfare, Rakesh Kumar said this is high time to improve the healthcare system and encourage safe abortion practices especially among the rural masses.
“The pseudo mindsets of people about women, who opt for abortion, need to be changed soon. The women should feel safe and secure at all levels. We should promise ourselves that no mother should die because we have not provided them safe abortion services,” said Kumar.
The three-day regional Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Health plus Adolescent (RMNCH+A) review meeting has been jointly organised by the National Health Mission (NHM) and UNICEF. Being attended by Orissa’s neighbouring states, it will be concluded Saturday.
Family welfare director Nirmala Dei and additional director NHM Saroj Samal were also present at the meeting.
