SHILLONG: Almost half of the child birth in Meghalaya is happening in homes with institutional delivery still remaining a far cry for a large section in the state.
The Committee of Women Empowerment which summoned officials from the Health Department was informed that 48.7 per cent of child birth in Meghalaya still occurs at homes and the Committee has asked the department to file a report on the matter
The Committee which also discussed different schemes and programmes undertaken by the department for women, asked the department to present all their reports before the Committee on January 22 when committee sits again.
Member of the Committee, HM Shangpliang also lamented that recently in one of CHCs in Pynursla as many as 16 pregnancy related deaths have occurred in last 10 months and numbers were same in another CHC nearby.
The Committee during the meeting also asked the department to conduct an audit of the 108 ambulance services and the committee made it clear that 48 ambulances which are operating in the state right now should be maintained.
Expressing concern over the fact that many children till now don’t have birth certificate because they were born at home, the Committee also inquired about the remuneration being paid to ASHA workers in the state
Talking to media persons, chairperson of the Committee, Ampareen Lyngdoh informed that the Committee also asked the department to clarify if it was justified to employ ASHA workers in other activities not related to maternity.
The Chairperson of the Committee also informed that the Committee would visit four hospitals before Christmas to inspect the working of these hospitals.
The four Hospitals are : Ganesh Das Hospital, Lalong Civil Hospital, Songsak CHC and Williamnagar Hosptial
“ We want to know why the new building of Ganesh Das Hospital is still not functional though funds were sanctioned in 2012,” Lyngdoh said while expressing concern over the delay in the completion of the Cancer wing in the Shillong Civil Hospital
Meanwhile, the Committee has also asked the department to ensure that the MHIS IV begins at the earliest as it is a beautiful scheme which has helped many people.