Chief Minister Siddaramaiah directed the Health and Family Welfare department to make Karnataka’s infant mortality rate (IMR) the lowest in the country within the next five years as the State currently ranks 10th on the national IMR index.
Reviewing health schemes with the Health department officials on Tuesday, Siddaramaiah said that Karnataka’s infant mortality rate — which at present stands at 32 infant death for every 1,000 births — as per the survey conducted in 2012, should be greatly reduced.
The chief minister also directed officials to provide the best treatment at government hospitals so that the trend of the poor being forced to go to private hospitals and paying hefty medical bills, can be curbed. “The best of medical treatment should be made available to the poor in government hospitals,” he added.
This Health department meeting, which was previously held in 2011, was also witness to a change in nomenclature of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). The body will now be known as the National Health Mission (NHM) as Bangalore will be shortly launching the National Urban Mission.
Dr Suresh Mohammed, director of NRHM said that a proposal of Rs 130 crore has already been sent to the Central government and that a reply is expected soon. Siddaramiah also reviewed 20 health schemes which were announced in the budget this year.
