‘Healthcare topmost priority of Odisha govt’

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Oct 30:

Healthcare is the topmost priority of the Odisha government,  chief minister Naveen Patnaik today said.

Addressing the concluding session of the two-day conference of the chief district medical officers (CDMO) here today, he said development of all other sectors is essentially linked to the health status of the people.

Since the state government has been making sincere efforts to ensure people’s access to equitable, affordable and quality health services, the CDMOs, being the chief administrators of health programmes at the district level, have the responsibility to carry forward the policies, plans and programmes of the state government to achieve its objective “Health security to all,” he pointed out.

Highlighting the initiatives of the state government for improvement of health services, Patnaik informed that the state government has decided to create a separate directorate under the Health department to handle health insurance schemes for farmers, labourers and poor people.

Maintaining that the health sector needs an extremely responsive approach by service delivery personnel, he said constant efforts have to be made to upgrade the quality and efficiency of services to ensure people’s right to lead a healthy life.

“Mother and child health is the number one priority of the state government. The rate of reduction of infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternal mortality rate (MMR) will be the benchmark for health evaluation of health administration at district levels. The CDMOs should ensure disbursement of entitlements under Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) and Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) and incentives to Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) on time to time”, the chief minister said.

Referring to sanitation measures, Patnaik said proper sanitation within and outside the hospital premises needs to be ensured.

The chief minister said the doctors and paramedics working in the KBK districts and other remote areas should get proper incentives to motivate them to provide better health services to the people there.

Besides, training and capacity building of health workers at the grassroots level must be given proper attention for successful implementation of health programmes, he pointed out.

He also laid emphasis on hassle-free service under Biju Krushan Kalyan Yojana (BKKY) and Odisha State Treatment Fund (OSTF) to farmers and other poor people.