National Health Mission to be launched in city soon

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 24

The National Health Mission (NHM) is expected to be launched in the city by January.

A district-level society comprising the Mayor as the chairperson and the Municipal Commissioner as the vice-chairperson, with Civil Surgeon as the chief executive officer was formed today to effectively implement the NHM programme in the city.

The society will also have officials from the Health Department and the Municipal Corporation (MC) to provide a four-tier health cover to city residents.

“Presently, city residents come directly to the Civil Hospital from their respective dispensaries. After the NHM implementation, they would be having urban primary health centres (UPHCs) and Urban Community Health Centres (UCHCs) at their disposal. With four different levels of health care units working in the city, city residents will have health care facility readily available at their doorstep,” said RL Bassan, Civil Surgeon. He also said that they had proposed six kiosks offering prescription for common diseases and immunisation facility, three UPHCs and three CHCs in various parts of the city, but would soon increase their number depending on the population of a respective area.

While for every 50 to 100 houses, a Mahila Arogaya Samiti’s representative would be working, there would be a community health volunteer working for every 200 to 500 households. For every 10,000 households, an ANM would be working and for over 50,000 households, a UPHC would be established. A CHC would be established for every 2.5 lakh population and above.

Major health care challenges in the city

• Poor households not knowing where to go to meet their health needs
• Contaminated water and poor sanitation leads to repeated outbreak of water-borne and vector diseases. Also, a majority of the people living in urban areas are suffering from anaemia, coronary heart diseases, stress, high blood pressure, cancer, diabetes and asthma
• Unregistered practitioners first point of contact, use of irrational and unethical medical practices
• Many urban poor households do not have BPL card. Reaching every poor household and providing special facilities for secondary and tertiary care to them. Not possible to provide free cancer treatment to all. Need for identifying the poor
• High use of drug and alcohol leading to high rise in domestic violence cases

Mission’s focus areas

• Uplifting life of homeless, rag-pickers, street children, rickshaw-pullers, construction, brick-kiln, lime-kiln workers, sex workers and other temporary migrants
• Public health thrust on sanitation, clean drinking water and vector control etc
• Strengthening public health capacity of urban local bodies
• Promoting the participation of community in planning and management of healthcare service delivery by ensuring a community link worker (U-ASHA), Mahila Arogaya Samities (MAS) and link workers from other programmes like JNURM, ICDS, RKS etc.

NHM infrastructure in city areas proposed

• Basti Peer Daad
• Madhuban Colony, Basti Bawa Khel
• Kabir Nagar
• Village Chuggitti
• Village Dhilwan
• Village Suchi Pind

Urban primary health centres (UPHCs)

• Basti Bawa Khel
• Garha village
• Ladhewali village

Urban community health centres (UCHCs)

• Khurla Kingra village
• Dada Colony, Industrial Area
• Basti Guzan, 120 ft Road