In a bid to provide quality healthcare services in the government hospitals, the construction of 9 more new MCH (Mother Child Health) Centres is in under process across the State which would be made operational latest by next year. It was disclosed here on Monday by Health & Family Welfare Minister Mr. Balbir Singh Sidhu in a press communiqué.Mr. Balbir Singh Sidhu said that to further improve the IMR (Infant Mortality Rate) and MMR (Mother Mortality Ratio), State Government is establishing the new MCH centres at Moga, Tarn Taran, Fatehgarh Churian, Bham, Samana, Khanna, Sangrur, Malerkotla and Nakodar. He said that Captain Amarinder Singh led Punjab Government has also proposed the 8 more new MCH centres in a view to provide standardized mother and child healthcare services at Fatehgarh Sahib, Goniana, Khanna, Phagwara, Jagraon, Budladha, Malout and Gidderbaha.Divulging about the status of IMR as well as MMR of Punjab, the Minister said that State government has been consistently performing better than most of the states in the Country in Child & Maternal Health.
He said that as per the SRS (Sample Registration System) data of 2017 Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) of Punjab is 21 per 1000 Live births as against 33 per 1000 at the national level adding that he said as per the SRS data Special bulletin on Maternal Mortality Ratio released in May 2018, MMR of Punjab is 122 per lac live births as against 130 per lac at national level.He further revealed that apart from modernized infrastructure, Department of Health, Punjab has also been implementing skill-based trainings with technical support from developing partner to improve competency of health staff and intra-partum and immediate post -partum care services.Balbir Singh Sidhu also said that State Government is running the special campaign to motivate the families to conduct the deliveries of pregnant women at the Government hospitals instead of home. He said that Public hospitals are well equipped with the advanced infrastructurestructure, equipments, Specialists, skilled Medical Officers and staff to save the precious lives of women and infants. He added that as per HMIS data (April- August 2019), Punjab has recorded the 98.3% Institutional deliveries across the state which is the key factor of overall improvement of the IMR & MMR in Punjab.