Tuesday, 6 January 2015

National Seminar on Tribal Health Issues

Ministry of Tribal Affairs in association with ICMR is organizing a national level seminar to discuss all tribal health issues covering thematic areas i.e, malaria, nutrition, sickle cell anaemia and maternal and child health. The daylong seminar will be held tomorrow in New Delhi. Statistics says that the tribal health issues are different from the mainstream health issues as a result of which they are in the bottom line of indication. 

The main objective of this seminar is to share good case studies and researches done by ICMR and RMRC to eradicate burning health problems of the tribals and to find out how the findings from these case studies can be replicated by other states. 

More than a decade of research has shown that small and affordable measures can significantly reduce the health risks that women face when they become pregnant. Most maternal deaths could be prevented if women had access to quality Antenatal care (ANC) during pregnancy, childbirth, and immediately afterwards. Quality ANC includes minimum of at least 4 ANCs including early registration of pregnant mother and first ANC in first trimester along with physical and abdominal examinations, Hb estimation and urine investigation, two doses of T.T Immunization and consumption of IFA tablets for 100 days. 

Web Enabled Mother and Child Tracking System (MCTS) is being implemented by Department of Health as a mission mode project under the National e-Governance Plan (NeGP) to register and track every pregnant woman. Having said so, till date significant percentage of ST women do not fall under the radar of MCTS registration mechanism and hence being deprived of quality ANC service. As per NFHS-3 estimates, the likelihood of having received care from a doctor is lowest for scheduled tribe mothers (only 32.8% compared to all India total of 50.2 % and 42% for Scheduled Caste). 

In spite of providing facility for free immunization to the pregnant mothers, only 32.4% of ST mothers (lowest among all social groups) received advice about where to go if they experienced pregnancy complications. The seminar would discuss the reasons attributing to this and interventions required to achieve 100% coverage of immunisation of pregnant mothers amongst tribals. Role of various Ministries and agencies including NGOs will also be discussed. More than a dozen experts from all over the country will be participating in the seminar. 


Courtesy: pib.nic.in

No comments:

Extension of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme through ECLGS 2.0 for the 26 sectors identified by the Kamath Committee and the healthcare sector

Extension of the duration of Emergency Credit Line Guarantee Scheme (ECLGS) 1.0 The Government has extended Emergency Credit Line Guarantee ...