Deputy Commissioner Priyanka Mary Francis has directed the officials to take all necessary steps to reduce infant and maternal mortality in the district.
She was chairing a review meeting on various programmes and schemes of the Department of Health and Family Welfare at the Zilla Panchayat Hall, here on Monday.
Ms. Francis said all doctors, nurses, junior health assistants, and anganwadi workers should provide necessary aid to reduce the death of mothers and infants. It was essential to create awareness about nutritious food among pregnant women, she said.
As many as 57 cases of infant mortality and seven cases of maternal mortality have been reported in the district so far this year. Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs) should disseminate information about the importance of breast feeding to the pregnant women, she said.
Matrupoorna Scheme would be launched in the district on October 2. This would enable pregnant women and mothers of infants to get nutritious food from anganwadis. Mothers of newborn children, who are working, could avail nutritious food from the anganwadi centres nearest to their places of work, she said.
‘Dabbawala system’
If the anganwadi centres are far off from the villages, the district administration was planning to deliver nutritious food through “Dabbawala system.” Accordingly, nutritious food would be carried in boxes on bicycles and delivered to the homes of mothers of newborns. Junior health assistants and anganwadi workers should create awareness in this regard, Ms. Francis said.
It was incumbent upon all PHCs to observe cleanliness on their premises during the Cleanliness Fortnight. She directed District Health and Family Welfare Officer, K. Rohini, to give prizes to the cleanest PHCs.
Shivanand Kapashi, CEO of Zilla Panchayat, was present.
Later, the officials were administered an oath for maintaining cleanliness during the Cleanliness Fortnight to be observed in the district from October 1 to 15.