SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Legislative Assembly Committee on Women Empowerment has expressed grave concern over high Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in East Garo Hills and West Garo Hills.
The committee, which extensively travelled to the two districts, on Monday held a meeting with the officials of the Health department and asked to immediately prepare a plan of action to address the problem.
Addressing a press conference after the meeting, chairman of the committee, Ampareen Lyngdoh, termed the situation as alarming while informing that in the past six months, there have been 140 cases of maternal mortality in West Garo Hills.
She informed that women do not have access to treatment for gynaecological complications as the Megha Health Insurance Scheme (MHIS) necessitates submission of printouts of ultrasound examination. She said even the ultrasound machine was found to be not working. The committee has asked the officers of the department to look into the matter and a new ultrasound machine with printers is likely to be sanctioned. Asked about the cause of high MMR in the two districts, Lyngdoh said that pregnant mothers have to travel long distances to heath care centres and high presence of anemia are some of the main factors.
Lamenting the low – 46 per cent – rate of institutional delivery in West Garo Hills, Lyngdoh said that teenage pregnancy is also one of the reasons for high IMR. The committee has also decided that after getting data from all the line departments, it would ask the government to formulate a policy to ensure there is adequate publicity and awareness to discourage teenage pregnancies.
Terming anemia as a number one killer and one of the primary causes for the increase of MMR in the state, the committee has also asked the DHS to come up with a plan to address the concern.
A member of the committee, HM Shangpliang, also informed that the MCH Hospital in Tura was inspected and it was found that there is a shortage of beds.
“There are only 50 beds and there were as many as 96 patients when the hospital was last inspected. We feel that the hospital needs expansion,” Shangpliang said.
The committee also met several organisations which apprised it about the problems women face.
Lyngdoh said that they held detailed discussions on law enforcement agencies and the committee felt that women are still not adequately protected. While discussing about POCSO, the committee was told that the two districts do not have a functional women police station and the police stations are also short of women officers.
During the meeting on Monday, the DGP gave an assurance before the committee that the shortage of women police personnel in Tura and Williamnagar will be addressed.
The committee was also informed that 90 per cent of the accused who are booked under POCSO usually get bail. The committee has asked the SPs of both the districts to send data on the matter.
The committee, meanwhile, also discussed about the sexual harassment of women at work place and they were assured that efforts will be put in place to ensure they are safe.
