NEW DELHI: Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar on Wednesday expressed deep anguish over the continuing neglect of the girl child and the instances of female foeticide, which resulted in a skewed sex ratio in the country.
Addressing the 17th Convocation of the National Board of Examinations, she underlined the need for high calibre medical professionals, willing to serve in villages and inaccessible parts of the country, to address the problem.
“As we move ahead into the 12th Five-Year Plan in April, we should look forward to setting new benchmarks in health indicators such as reduction of maternal and infant mortality rates, improving women and child health and addressing the issue of child sex ratio in the 0-6 year age group to ensure adequate care and nurturing of the girl child,” she said.
Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said the number of candidates aspiring to enrol for the Diplomate of National Board (DNB) programme had gone up by 300 per cent in the past one year and the number of candidates who successfully cleared the examinations had increased to 44 per cent.
Azad also said it was a matter of pride that out of more than 4500 degrees being awarded currently, more than 40 per cent of the recipients were women graduates.Enumerating the reforms initiated to increase the availability of human resources in the health sector, Azad said,”These path-breaking decisions have brought in positive results.