Chandigarh, May, 25 – The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has decided to formulate a comprehensive scheme based on Haryana’s initiative to promote institutional deliveries by providing free health services to pregnant women belonging to all sections of the society.Haryana Health Minister Rao Narender Singh who was speaking after attending a meeting with Union Health and Family Welfare Minister, Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad in Delhi said that this scheme would be formulated after making some amendments in Haryana’s scheme. He said that State Government’s initiative to promote institutional deliveries by providing free health services to pregnant women belonging to all sections of the society has been highly appreciated by the Central Government.
Those present in the meeting included Joint Secretary, Health and Family Welfare Department, Government of India, Mrs Anuradha Gupta, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary of Health Department, Haryana, Mr. Rajan Gupta and Director General Health Services, Mr. Narvir Singh participated in this meeting.
Rao Narender Singh, said that during the meeting Mr. Ghulam Nabi Azad appreciated the health services being provided in Haryana, especially the Referral Transportation Service being provided to expectant mothers as well as the improved and safe delivery facilities for women in rural areas.
He said that institutional deliveries in the State had increased from 53 per cent to 74 per cent in the last few years and were indicative of the fact that the programmes and policies of the State Government in the field of health had borne successful results. He added that the schemes of the Health Department of Haryana were discussed at length in the meeting with special focus on the Referral Transportation Service and provision of free of cost meals to pregnant women while undergoing treatment in hospitals. The provision of free of cost medicines to OPD patients in all the health centres in the State was also discussed.
The Minister said that the popular low-cost surgery package programme of the Haryana Government was also appreciated in the meeting as all surgeries were being provided free of cost for BPL (below poverty line) card holders and residents of urban slums notified by the local and urban bodies under it.
Rao Narender Singh further said that District Hospital Management System had also been launched for bringing about improvement in the working of district hospitals. Besides this, Neo-Natal Intensive Care Units were being set up in all District Civil Hospitals and special PNDT Act Cells were also being set up for giving thrust to health services in the State.