SHILLONG: The Assembly Committee on Women Empowerment has asked the Health Department to file a report on the low institutional delivery of babies before January 22.
The committee had summoned officials of the department on Monday who informed that 48.7 percent of child births in Meghalaya still occur at home. This is the reason why many children do not have birth certificates and that is a cause for worry, the panel felt.
Among other issues, payment to ASHA workers was also in focus at the meeting.
“The committee has asked the Health Department to clarify if it is justified to employ ASHA workers in other activities which is not related to maternity,” chairperson Ampareen Lyngdoh told the media after the meeting.
The 7,000-odd ASHA workers in the state have been protesting in demand for payment of dues.
Under the Meghalaya maternity benefit scheme, if a woman gives birth at home with assistance from the ASHA worker, she is entitled to receive Rs 500 and the mother Rs 2,000. But this is yet to be implemented.
Hospital visit
The committee wanted to know the reason for the delay in making the new building at Ganesh Das Hospital functional. Lyngdoh said fund for the building was sanctioned in 2012.
Lyngdoh also expressed concern over the delay in completion of the cancer wing at Shillong Civil Hospital.
The chairperson said the panel members will visit four hospitals — Ganesh Das, Ialong Civil Hospital, Songsak CHC and Williamnagar Civil Hospital — before Christmas for inspection and also to wish patients with gifts.
The committee plans to visit Ganesh Das Hospital on November 13.
Meanwhile, it has asked the Health Department to ensure that MHIS-IV begins at the earliest as it “has helped many people” in its earlier avatars.
Different schemes and programmes of the state government for women were also discussed.
The Committee will meet again on January 22.
