Bhubaneswar: Health and Family Welfare Minister Mukesh Mahaling Tuesday said Chief District Medical and Public Health Officers (CDM& PHOs) are the health leaders at the district level and their leadership, efficiency and commitment would be crucial to ensuring effective healthcare delivery at the grassroots. “Proper preparation of the plan, along with its timely and quality implementation, is a major responsibility,” Mahaling said, urging officials to ensure that the benefits of various health programmes reach the intended beneficiaries.
He was speaking at a preparatory workshop held here for the successful implementation of the National Health Mission (NHM) Programme Implementation Plan (PIP) for 2026-27, which was attended by CDM&PHOs from all districts of Odisha. Mahaling, who attended the workshop as the chief guest, stressed the need for effective, target-oriented and timely implementation of various programmes under the National Health Mission at the district and grassroots levels. He said that under the guidance of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India’s health sector has witnessed significant development since 2014.
In line with the objectives and vision of the National Health Policy, 2017, the country has been steadily moving towards ensuring accessible and quali ty healthcare services for all. He said the positive impact of these initiatives is also reflected in state’s health indicators under the leadership of Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi. Emphasising the need to further strengthen the state’s healthcare system, he called for continuous monitoring and evaluation of health programmes at the district level. The minister urged officials to accord greater priority to reducing maternal and infant mortality, eliminating anaemia, making Odisha tuberculosis-free and achieving other key public health targets. He noted that Odisha has made significant progress in reducing the infant mortality rate and maternal mortality ratio.
However, with nearly 80 per cent of the state’s population living in rural areas, he stressed the need to further improve the reach and quality of healthcare services in rural areas. Mahaling called for renewed momentum in the TB Mukt Bharat Abhiyan, with particular emphasis on identifying and registering more people through the Nikshay system. He stressed the importance of early identification of tuberculosis cases, timely initiation of treatment and continuous follow-up of patients to achieve the goal of TB elimination.
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