press trust of India
KORAPUT (Odisha), 20 JUNE: The infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternal mortality rate (MMR) in 11 Maoist-hit districts including the Kalahandi-Bolangir-Koraput (KBK) region were alarming, Union Health Secretary Keshav Desiraju said. Bolangir tops IMR, among the 11 districts, with 98 per 1,000 live births followed by Kandhamal at 86 against the state average of 59.
Barring Bolangir, the average MMR in the other 10 districts is 297 per one lakh deliveries against the state average of 237. Bolangir alone records MMR of 212 against one lakh deliveries, official sources said. Mr Desiraju reviewed functioning of the Centrally sponsored National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) here.
District Collectors and chief district medical officers of Koraput, Rayagada, Malkangiri, Gajapati, Kandhamal, Nabarangpur, Nuapada, Kalahandi, Sonepur, Boudh and Bolangir attended the review meeting, the sources said. In the meeting, shortage of doctors, lack of maternity waiting homes and health centres, absence of proper road communication to shift serious pregnant women to nearest health centres and typical health behaviour of tribals wherein they rely more on traditional healers than doctors were discussed. Out of 4,359 doctor posts, 1,206 are lying vacant in the state. There are as many as 460 vacancies in the 11 districts. “We hope the situation will improve once the recruitment process is over,” said state health secretary PK Mohapatra, who accompanied Mr Desiraju.
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