UT for improving pregnant women's health in slums

Chandigarh, Feb 26 (UNI) The Chandigarh Administration is taking various initiatives to motivate pregnant mothers residing in the slums of the city for safe deliveries.

UT Home and Health Secretary Krishna Mohan said the city administration was giving top priority to the health care of pregnant mothers and infants for reducing neonatal, infant and maternal mortality, prevalence of anemia among women and children, under nutrition in children below three years of age and the unmet need of family planning with the strategies.

Mr Mohan revealed that the Health Department had released a sum of Rs 1,78,800 to Anganwari workers in the Department of Social Welfare to motivate pregnant mothers residing in the slums for safe delivery in the health institutions of the city thereby increasing the number of institutional deliveries to 87 per cent.

The Home Secretary said that to achieve the objective of the project launched in August 2007 for improving monitorable indicators of reproductive and child health in the Union Territory of Chandigarh as a state initiative by the city administrator, a sum of Rs One lakh had been released to PGIMER, Planning and Evaluation Cell for monitoring the field activity under the specific strategy evolved.

Mr Mohan also unveiled that Rs 1,11,000 as imprest money for referral transportation would be made available to Anganwari workers for facilitating the pregnant mothers for hiring the vehicle to reach the nearest health facility for delivery.

UNI PS VN1711