VISAKHAPATNAM : Concerned by the high number of Infant Mortality and Maternal Mortality Rate (IMR and MMR) being registered in Visakhapatnam, minister for Panchayat Raj Ch Ayyannapatrudu convened a special convergence meeting Thursday which was attended by all medical and health officers.
District collector N Yuvaraj revealed that eight mothers and 60 infants have died in the first quarter of this year.
During the meeting, the minister said that the hospitals in Anakapalle, Narsipatnam, Paderu and the district would soon be strengthened to arrest IMR and MMR. He further said that the government would sanction funds and implement measures to control IMR and MMR in the district.
While addressing the officials, the minister said that the medical and health departments alone would not be able to control the IMR and MMR and hence urged the front line departments and NGOs to take up the responsibility.
Collector Yuvaraj said that as a preventive step, firstly birth waiting rooms would be set up where the pregnant women could wait before the expected delivery date. Secondly, high risk pregnant women would be identified and medical aid would be provided to them. The collector further proposed that positive results could be achieved if medical students rendered their services as interns in these areas.
Some medical officers raised critical issues such as unavailability of blood and transportation in agency areas. The medical officers suggested taking aid from the Self Help Group members who could help in improving the health of pregnant women.
Responding to the lack of availability of blood, collector Yuvaraj said that more number of blood donation camps would be conducted to ensure availability of blood in the area hospitals.