Udupi dist number one in health parameter in K'taka

Udupi, Apr 20 (UNI) Karnataka Medical Education Minister Dr V S Acharya today said Udupi district occupied the first position in the health parameter in the State due to the high literacy rate, health awareness and population control measures.

Participating in the valedictory of the three-day 'Arogya Mela Mattu Ahaara Mela' here, he said that while infant mortality rate for the entire State was 1000:49, it was 1000:8 in the district. The district maintained the international average mortality rate, which was eight to ten per 1000 in developed nations. The rate in seven districts of the North Karnataka belt still remained a cause for concern where it ranged from 54 to 79, he added.

Dr Acharya said population growth in the district had come down to minus 25. Population of children in the 0-6 age group in the district, which was at 1.43 lakh earlier, had come down to 1.08 lakh in the 2001 census. Due to health awareness and hygienic food system, longevity of life had also increased in the district to 72 years in the case of females and 70 years for males.

He called upon the people of Udupi district to further improve this position, with women taking the lead by giving more importance to the health and hygiene of their family members.

Mela Reception Committee Chairman K Raghupathy Bhat, MLA, said over 6,000 patients have benefited from the mela and there was a demand for 1,200 spectacles from those who underwent eye tests. They would not only be provided with free spectacles within a fortnight or a month, but also be given free eye operations. He would donate Rs five lakh from his MLA area development fund for the purpose, he announced.

UNI