Social health gets big-time attention

Govt shows it cares with slew of sops

A dialysis unit at each taluk hospital, residential care centres for mentally ill patients, and increasing bed strength of 41 maternal and child health units by 2,500, are among a slew of proposals the government, on Friday, announced for the health, women and children welfare.

According to Health & Family Welfare Principal Secretary Madan Gopal, in order to reduce dropout rates among HIV and TB patients, a scheme to supply them with nutritional support has been proposed. “We found that most patients were poor and could not afford the require nutritional diet. Hence, we decided to provide them this.” We will chart out the details soon, he said, adding the scheme would benefit about 70,000 TB and 93,000 HIV patients in the State.

Further, taking forward the mensural hygiene programme, the budget, provides for sanitary napkins for adolescent girls in government schools, government-aided schools and girls visiting Sneha clinics. An AYUSH health unit in one taluk of each district and four AYUSH medical units in four revenue divisions have also been proposed.

Besides, setting up of Indian Institute of Public Health in City, installation of e-Hospitals software at three hospitals — K C General Hospital, General Hospital Jayanagar and  Sanjay Gandhi Institute of Trauma & Orthopaedics has been planned, wherein the software will provide for centralised database for all three hospitals.

The government has also announced financial security of Rs 50,000 to physically challenged person when he or she gets married. Also, grant-in-aid to old age homes has been increased to Rs 8 lakh from existing Rs 1.96 lakh per annum to safeguard senior citizens. It has also been proposed to establish 10 Fast Track Courts for early disposal of cases involving atrocities against women.

According to Manipal Health Enterprises Medical Director Sudarshan Ballal, the positives in the budget are its overall emphasis on primary health care in the form of AYUSH units, incentive to ASHA workers, nutritional support to needy, focus on increasing maternity beds in public sector.