Palakkad (Keralam), Oct 31 Keralam Minister K Muraleedharan on Saturday announced a series of measures to strengthen maternal and child healthcare in Attappadi following recent infant deaths in the tribal region.
These entail appointing specialist doctors, expanding neonatal care facilities and deploying a dedicated paediatric ambulance.
During his visit to Attappadi, the state Health minister assessed the ground situation through interactions with health workers and local representatives and reviewed the functioning of the Kottathara Tribal Speciality Hospital.
He held review meetings with officials and health experts at Attappadi and Agali to identify gaps in the existing healthcare system and plan urgent interventions.
Muraleedharan said additional specialist doctors would be appointed at the Kottathara hospital over and above the existing sanctioned posts.
The specialists would comprise paediatricians, gynaecologists and anaesthesiologists. He acknowledged that getting doctors to serve in the remote tribal region remained a challenge.
A new hospital block with facilities for neonatal care and an emergency operation theatre would be constructed with assistance from NABARD, the minister said.
As part of efforts to ensure access to specialised treatment, the Kottathara Tribal Speciality Hospital and the Thrissur Medical College Hospital would be linked through a spoke-and-hub model. Paediatricians at both hospitals would coordinate to facilitate specialised medical care for children in Attappadi, he said.
The radiology department at the Kottathara hospital would be strengthened by ensuring that a radiologist from Thrissur Medical College Hospital visits the facility every week, he added.
The proposed measures also envisage a dedicated paediatric ambulance service, expanded neonatal care facilities in association with Thrissur Medical College Hospital, more field-level health workers and a mobile medical unit to improve access to healthcare in remote tribal settlements.
Emphasising the need to ensure proper nutrition for pregnant women, the minister said the government was considering providing them cooked food instead of the existing cash assistance of Rs 2,000 under the Janani Janma Raksha scheme implemented by the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes Department.
The proposal would be discussed with the minister concerned, he said.
The government would examine the report of the expert committee that studied infant deaths in Attappadi and take steps to implement its recommendations, Muraleedharan said.
Regarding the community kitchen in the region, the minister said financial constraints arising from the non-release of funds had affected its operations. He assured that the pending amount would be released soon.
Attappadi, one of the most backward tribal regions in Keralam, has once again come under focus following recent infant deaths, triggering a political confrontation between the ruling Congress-led UDF and the opposition CPI(M).
While CPI(M) leaders have strongly criticised the UDF government over the deaths, Congress leaders have accused the Left of politicising the issue and attempting to deflect attention from alleged shortcomings during the previous LDF government’s tenure.
(PTI News)
