Assam govt to sign MoU to set up tea garden hospitals

Kolkata, Aug 31 (UNI) Assam Health and Family Welfare Additional Secretary Dr J B Ekka has said the state government would sign MoUs with about 50 tea estates to help set up new hospitals by this year.

'' We have asked the tea associations to identify the tea gardens where hospitals may be set up,'' Dr Ekka said adding, ''We are yet to sign the MoUs.'' '' With an allotment of nearly Rs 15 lakh for each and every tea garden hospital, we are trying to do something on the lines of the Chiranjeevi Yojna of Gujarat, since we believe there is a lot more to be done for the people of the state especially in these estates,'' he said.

Chiranjeevi Yojna (CY) is a maternity insurance scheme for Below Poverty Line (BPL) families. CY was initiated as a scheme to increase institutional deliveries and encourage private practitioners(PP) to provide maternity services in remote areas that record the highest infant mortality and maternal mortality rates in the states. Based on low institutional deliveries and low sex ratio five districts were selected for one-year pilot project.

These districts are: Banaskantha, Dahod, Kutch, Panchmahal and Sabarkantha.

Explaining the issue of more and more doctors opting to leave North East, he said, ''Owing to poor infrastructure in the health sector in the region and poor remuneration, it was natural that the people too would lose faith in the healthcare facilities in the region.'' He said that private concerns and non-governmental organisations have been invited to form partnerships for setting up tea garden hospitals and trust hospitals in the region.

''Several other possible tie-ups are in the pipeline, especially in gynaecology and related fields, health insurance, e-health and telemedical services for those Below Poverty Line,'' added Dr Ekka.

UNI