On the recommendations of the Thirteenth Finance Commission, the Jammu & Kashmir State has been awarded with of Rs 11.86 crore during the current financial year for making strenuous efforts in reduction of Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) between the years 2009 and 2012.This was disclosed by Minister of State for Health, Mr. Shabir Ahmad Khan during the meeting with the Officers of J&K National Rural Health Mission held here today.Mission Director NRHM, Dr.Yashpal Sharma briefed the Minister about physical and financial achievements registered under NRHM for up- gradation and improvement of healthcare facilities in the State.The Minister said with a further decline in the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) by two points this year in the State, the Health Department has marked a significant achievement, which reveals the better execution of various schemes related to Child Health under National Rural Health Mission. He said that as per the latest reports of Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin-September 2013, IMR of the State has been reduced to 39, which was 41in the year 2011. The IMR of the State has come down by 13 points from 52 in 2006 to 39 in 2013 and is also better than the National average of 42.
Mr Shabir said that last year an amount of Rs 15.36 Crore were released by the 13th Finance Commission to the State and the various activities were undertaken for Strengthening of Maternal & Child Health care services through Facility Based & Home Based New-born Care & strengthening of Labour Rooms & OTs, besides technical support for strengthening of Child Health Care interventions through Norway India Partnership Initiative (NIPI) & United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). He said these initiatives are being carried out in Medical College Hospitals, District & other peripheral hospitals.
The Minister said that to reach nearer to its goal, the NRHM had adopted various strategies framed by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and achieved IMR of 39.He said the action plan adopted to reduce IMR included strengthening of existing Facility Based Newborn Care Units (FBNC), capacity building of health care providers, implementing Home Based Newborn Care (HBNC), Management of Severe Malnutrition by establishment of Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre (NRC), strengthening of monitoring tools including HMIS and Mother Child Tracking System (MCTS), strengthening of labour rooms in delivery points and high case load facilities in Community Health Centres (CHCs) and District Hospitals (DHs) and launching special Immunization drives for high focus and drop out areas & conducting Village Health & Nutrition Days (VHNDs).The Minister directed Mission Director NRHM who is also the Member Secretary of High Level Monitoring Committee (HLMC) to take necessary steps to reduce the Infant Mortality Rate further and prepare detailed action plan in consultation with Director Health Services Jammu, Kashmir, Director Family Welfare & RCH and other members of the committee so that the same can be placed before the HLMC for discussion and approval.