Chhatrapur: Though the state government has been conducting free health check-up programmes for pregnant women at health centres and hospitals across the state, it is yet to deliver desirable results in Ganjam district, thanks to the apathetic attitude of the health workers concerned.
In a bid to reduce maternal mortality rate, the state government has arranged four-time free health check-ups, from the start of pregnancy till the delivery of the child.
However, a survey report of the health department says that 15,250 pregnant women in the district have not gone through the four-time check-up. Sources said the blame is upon the ASHA workers.
The survey report found that out of a total of 44,409 pregnant women in the district, only 38,326 delivery cases were registered in various hospitals of Ganjam. And of the 44,409, only 22,476 anticipating mothers have got their health checked up for the fourth/final time.
Moreover, only 27,476 women have got their hemoglobin checked-up in government hospitals while a total of 529 women in the district have delivered their children in their homes. With this, the district is able to achieve only 66 percent of institutional delivery.
The numbers of institutional deliveries are reportedly coming down in CHCs like Khallikote, Digapahandi, Jagganathprasad, and Kukudakhandi while registration of expectant mothers in MAMATA Scheme has been poor at CHCs in Purusottampur, Chattrapur, Sorada, Beguniapada and Jaganathprasad.
District Collector Vijay Amruta Kulange has expressed his concern over this worrying trend and assured of correctional measures. To make matters worse, the district has recorded births of 6,327 underweight babies. The number of underweight babies was the highest in areas like Jagganathprasad, urban Berhampur and Bhanjanagar.
Furthermore, in the case of immunisation of children, the district has achieved only 74 per cent of the target. In Khallikote, Berhampur and Belguntha CHCs, the number of girls’ birth per boys has been recorded the lowest.
Collector Kulange advised the respective CHCs to carry out awareness on the importance of sex-ratio by giving attractive kits to the mothers of the girl child.
Notably, in 2019, 3,390 and 307 anticipating mothers were diagnosed with malaria and dengue respectively.
The Collector has instructed the officials of the health department to distribute sanctioned 3,53,323 mosquito nets in order to prevent malaria and dengue in the district.
PNN