Ludhiana: Health centres short of midwives; overburdened, say employees
The local health department is facing a severe shortage of Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), forcing those on duty to cater to twice or thrice the number of people an ANM is supposed to cater as per the rules, say staff members.
According to an assement by the local health officials in 2017-2018, after the National Health Mission (NHM) in 2014 prescribed that there must be a ANM against every 10,000 people, it was found that the city has roughly a population of 18-20 lakh and as such would require 196 ANMs. However, at the moment, there are only around 60 ANMs in the various urban primary health centres (UPHCs) in the district.
The Giaspura UPHC caters to around one lakh people but no ANM is available there at present. The situation is similar at the Salem Tabri UCHC that caters to 45,000 people. The UPHCs in Dhandari (catering to 60,000 people) and Model Town (having a population of 31,000) have just one ANM each. The data shows that the ANM staff are short by 70%.
A health official, seeking anonymity, said it was important to have enough ANMs in the peripheral urban areas that were populated mostly by labour class migratory population as they required to be educated in how to ensure prenatal health, identify symptoms of complications and antenatal care.
While urban areas clocked fewer maternal mortality cases last year, the numbers in the preceding year were more. If the data from last year was taken out, the maternal mortality cases in urban areas appear to be increasing. In 2021-22, there were 18 maternal deaths in urban areas, which rose to 28 by 2023-24. Last year, the urban areas recorded only 20 deaths.
The local health department had written to the higher-ups in 2018 to sanction more posts to ensure the required ANM strength. On different occasions, ANMs were sent to the district but at present most of the posts remain vacant.
The health official further said that multiple letters were written to higher officials regarding the ANM shortage, but to no avail.
When contacted, Ludhiana civil surgeon Dr Ramandeep Kaur said, 'I took up this issue at the civil surgeons' conference today. I was told that a few ANMs have been recruited. A rationalising process will be taken up and they will be deployed as per the demand.'
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Hindustan Times
6 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
Ludhiana district tops Punjab's COVID tally with five cases, 1 death
Out of the six active COVID-19 cases in the state, five have been reported in the district with one person even dying of infection. According to health officials, the district till Sunday had five active cases, and one death. While two of the cases happen to be the kids of the man who died of COVID on Wednesday and are reported to be asymptomatic and in quarantine, three more cases were reported on Friday and Saturday, with one 26-year-old having returned from Kerala recently and two others who had come in contact with people who had come in contact with those who recently travelled to states with more number of cases. As per a senior health official speaking on the condition of anonymity, the latest three cases are mildly symptomatic. The department is tracing people who have been in contact with the people found positive to check a possible spread of infection. The official also confirmed that so far, the local health department was not sending test samples to Patiala to check for the strain of the infection. Despite having the greatest number of cases, with one death, the local health department hasn't yet issued any advisory. Some other district like Patiala have asked the district hospitals to make COVID tests mandatory for all patients complaining of fever, cold, and other symptoms. Avoid heading out in crowded areas While noting that the authority to issue any advisory was not available at the district level and was the prerogative of only the state or central government, Ludhiana civil surgeon Dr Ramandeep Kaur said the department through media had been asking people to exercise necessary precautions and voluntarily come in for tests if they see any symptoms. 'Ever since the first case was reported, we have been calling upon people to maintain SOPs like avoiding crowds or using masks when venturing out, special precautions for those with co-morbid conditions and age above sixty, isolation for those having symptoms, getting etc,. Even the health minister who was here earlier in the week had emphasised these precautions,' she said. She also said the department was following the condition closely and in discussions with the higher ups may issue an advisory as soon as it is warranted. State nodal officer for COVID-19, Dr Rajesh Bhaskar, said the situation is very normal as of now and there was no reason to worry about and that any advisory wasn't required yet. 'The situation is really normal. We have just six active cases. Kerala has over 300 cases and the government there too hasn't issued any advisory. Because the situation hasn't reached that situation yet,' he said. It is pertinent to mention that the person who died of COVID was already suffering from a lung ailment.
The Hindu
16 hours ago
- The Hindu
11 health and wellness centres that were closed for want of doctors set to be revived in Tiruchi
Eleven urban health and wellness centres in Tiruchi, which had remained non-functional for over two years, are all set to open their doors to the public. Considering the surge in urban population and the growing patronage of the 18 Urban Primary Health Centres (UPHCs), the Corporation, under the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), constructed 36 health and wellness centres (HWC), each at an estimated cost of ₹25 lakh utilising the funds sanctioned by the 15th Finance Commission. These centres will function from 8 a.m. to noon and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. Each UPHC will be attached to two wellness centres and the Chief Medical Officer of the UPHC will supervise the HWCs. The initiative is aimed at enabling patients to get first-level emergency and trauma care in addition to alternative medicinal therapies and yoga. Of the 36 centres, 25 are functioning, but the remaining 11 centres have remained closed for over two years because of the unavailability of doctors, and medical staff. However, the Health department has now appointed a doctor, a staff nurse, a health inspector, and an attendant for each of these centres. 'They are undergoing training at the UPHCs about existing schemes, filing reports, availability of medicines, infant immunisation, anti-rabies vaccinations, antenatal care, and other services at the HWCs. The facilities will become functional within two weeks,' said a senior official. The centres are located at Sangiliandapuram, Amman Nagar, Mela Pandamangalam, Solarajapuram, Kamaraj Nagar, Vasanth Nagar, Sanjivi Nagar, Karumandapam, Thennur Babu Cetti Road, Ambedkar Nagar, and Ammaiyapa Nagar. Meanwhile, the 25 health and wellness centres have become popular among residents and continue to register significant footfall since its launch. At present, free cancer screening camps to screen people for breast cancer, cervical cancer, and oral cancer are being held at these centres.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Time of India
Min: 41k to be appointed in health dept before polls
Patna: Health minister Mangal Pandey on Friday announced that 41,000 appointments will be made in the state health department before the model code of conduct for elections comes into effect. He was speaking after handing over appointment letters to 228 specialist doctors in Patna. "The process for 8,500 appointments is in its final stages. We are taking major steps to strengthen healthcare in Bihar. Advertisements have been issued for 41,000 posts across various health categories," he said. Under the National Health Mission (NHM), the recruitment of 722 general physicians will be completed within 15 days. "Pathology services are being improved to ensure better diagnostic and treatment facilities," he added. The newly appointed specialists include 30 orthopaedic surgeons, 27 general surgeons, 17 ophthalmologists, 25 physicians (MD), 38 paediatricians, 55 gynaecologists, 13 ENT surgeons, 12 psychiatrists, 3 dermatologists and 8 anaesthetists. "All vacant posts in the health sector will be filled soon. Bihar is leading in several sectors, and efforts are underway to surpass the national average in healthcare," Pandey said. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like 中年以降であれば、このゲームは必須です。 BuzzDaily Winners ゲームをプレイ Undo He added that Bihar currently ranks top in supplying medicines to government hospitals and is nearing the national average in ambulance availability. "We will surpass it within a month," he said. "Bihar is third in generating Ayushman Bharat cards. We have created 3.96 crore cards across 1.79 crore families. So far, 1.62 crore families have received the cards, covering 91% of the target. Our aim is to reach four crore," he said. Senior officials, including development commissioner and additional chief secretary (health) Pratyaya Amrit, were present at the event.
