The Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J P Nadda distributed Computer Tablets to urban Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) under the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) at a function at Raipur, Chattisgarh today. The Health Minister stated that the Tablets will help the ANMs in more efficient delivery of services to the urban areas, particularly the urban slums. These devices will be useful for real-time data collection and reporting on the various health services being provided under the NUHM, the Minister informed. Observing that record keeping of the data from the field was a weak link in effective monitoring of progress of the schemes, the Minister stated that the Tablets will aid in efficient record keeping and better monitoring of the schemes. These will thus provide a platform for a sturdy MIS system for the NUHM and sharing of experiences and best practises, he said.
Video clippings of 1 to 2 minute duration on different health issues shall be available on the ANM’s Tablet which will be used to educate and train them, and also create awareness among the slum and other areas on various health schemes of the government. The Tablets will be used to generate necessary alerts (SMS and Voice-based) to the ANMs and beneficiaries. Tablets can also be used as links to other health experts and doctors under the tele-medicine programme of the government. Additionally, the Central Government provides monetary help under various health services under DBT in the account of beneficiaries. This modern technology will also help ANMs to inform beneficiaries about this money transfer.
The Tablets will be distributed to more than 300 urban ANMs in the first phase on a pilot basis. Based on the impact this has on improved delivery of services, the scheme will be expanded to NRHM, the Health Minister stated. Later in the day the Union Health Minister visited AIIMS, Raipur. The Chief Minister of Chattisgarh Shri Raman Singh and Health Minister Shri Amar Agarwal accompanied him for a comprehensive review visit of the super speciality Institute. Shri Nadda visited various wards and reviewed the facilities at the OPD, OT, diagnostic labs, and medicine wards. He reviewed the construction work under progress at the Institute. The Health Minister also visited the Medical College and the E-library.