Medical Services in Assam

The United Nation Organizations programme “Health for all by 2020 AD” contemplates to expand the infrastructure for public health and medical care in order to ensure quality medical services to common men. To achieve this goal, the State Government has been undertaking various programmes and continuously increasing allocation of fund to the health sector in State Plans.

Health Infrastructure in the State:

Source: Economic Survey Assam 2010-11

The main objectives of Eleventh Five Year Plan (2007-12) with respect to enhance and strengthen health services at various stages, to remove regional & intra-regional disparities by improving health services in rural, hilly & tribal areas, to decentralize & strengthen regional referral services and to reduce Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), and Crude Birth Rate (CBR).

Status of selected Health Indicators:

Source: Economic Survey Assam 2010-11

To achieve the goal of healthy society the State Government has been undertaking various programmes and continuously increasing allocation of fund to the health sector in the State Plan.

Allocation and Expenditure of Fund under Health Sector in Assam:

Source: Economic Survey Assam 2010-11

Some Achievements:

• Construction of five District Civil Hospitals at Amingaon-Kamrup, Bongaigaon, Baska, Udalguri and Dhubri are nearing completion and the Kamrup Civil Hospital at Amingaon has already been made functional. Two such Hospitals one at Sonapur and another at Naharkatia are also taken up for construction and the construction work at Sonapur Hospital has already been started.

• Sick New Borne Care Units (SNCUs) have been set up at MMCH, Guwahati and the Civil Hospitals at Lakhimpur, Tezpur and Nagaon. SNCUs are under construction at Civil Hospitals, Sivasagar, Golaghat, Mangaldoi and Nalbari. This has improved the Health Care facilities for the patients in the State.

• 103 CHCs were targeted for its upgradation to Indian Public Health Standard (IPHS) and out of which 101 already completed.

• To increase the number of supporting paramedical staff, 8 new GNM Schools at Mangaldoi, Morigaon, Goalpara, Hailakandi, Karimganj, Kokrajhar, Haflong and Diphu have been taken up for construction and the works completed except Kokrajhar, Haflong and Diphu.

• The three new Medical Colleges at Jorhat, Tezpur and Barpeta are under construction and the Jorhat Medical Collage Hospital has already been made functional in October 2009 and the admission in 1^st year MBBS course with 100 seats is awaited only for permission from MCI. 2 (two) other new Medical Colleges at Diphu and Nagaon is in the process of establishment.

• To provide better facilities to the cancer patients in the State, a new 200 bedded Cancer Hospital with modern sophisticated equipments worth 50.00 (fifty) crores at GMCH is under construction.

• Substantial investments have also been made for development of Govt. Ayurvedic College, Guwahati, Regional Dental College, Guwahati and the 3 Homoeopathic Medical Colleges of the State.

Special Initiatives:

State Government took several initiatives for patient welfare some of which are listed below:

• To encourage the doctors to work in the interior areas, financial incentive ranging from Rs.3000.00 to Rs.5000.00 per month provided to doctors.

• Implantation of Pacemaker and Heart Valves to the heart patients involve cost of more than a lakh and resulted inability of a large number of heart patient to undergo such treatment. With a view to overcome such financial constraints for the heart patients, The Government has already started implementation of providing cost free implantation of Pacemakers and Heart Valves to the heart patients. 1165 patients have been provided with Pacemakers and 231. patients have been provided with Heart Valves so far.

• The scheme called ‘Mamoni’ has ensured the compulsory three Ante Natal Checkups (ANCs) besides Institutional Delivery and cash assistance of Rs.1000/-for the nutrition of the pregnant women during their pregnancy. So far 3,67,051 pregnant women have been benefited under this scheme.

• The scheme called ‘Majoni’ has been launched for new born girl child to safeguard the educational help, nutritional right and to empower them equal to male counterpart. Under this scheme, an amount of Rs.5000/- is given in the form of Fixed Deposit every girl child born in health institutions. Till date 51,323 girl child have been benefited under this scheme.

• The wage earners when hospitalized lose their wages during the period of their hospitalization and as such immediately after release from the hospital they use to go to their work without having food resulting further deterioration of their health. In appreciation of the said hard reality faced by the wage earner folk of the State, Govt. have launched the scheme ‘Morom’ from April, 2010 so as to provide cash assistance @ 75/- for seven days, in Medical College Hospitals and @ 50/- for Civil Hospitals and 30/- for the CHC/FRU for five days.

• To improve the manpower in rural areas a Diploma course in Medical and Rural Health Care has been introduced and first batch of 92 Rural Health Practitioners have already been posted. Similarly 988 Multi Purpose Workers (Male) have been posted while another 1012 MPW (M) are being recruited for posting in Sub-Centres.

• The Janani Suraksha Yojana aims at institutional delivery of pregnant women with regular ante-natal and post-natal check-up through active participation of the ASHAs. The mother is provided with cash assistance of Rs.1400/- in rural areas and Rs.1000/- in urban areas. So far 12,48,406 no. of women have been benefited.

• The Mobile Medical Unit (MMU) services has been started to provide Health Services to the people residing in remote and far flung areas. Each MMU consists of 3 vehicles, 1 vehicle carries the doctors and supporting staff, the 2^nd vehicle is equipped with x-ray, ultrasound machine and the 3^rd vehicle has provision of examination and treatment of the patient. All diagnosis and treatment are provided at the site through the MMUs. All the 27 districts have been covered with MMU services. 6861 MMU camps with around eleven lakhs patients have so far been treated through this service till May, 2010.

Involvement of Private Sector:

The Govt. of Assam have also welcome the private investors willing to join hands with Govt. of Assam in the difficult health sectors for its improvement with their capital investment as well as providing highly technical skilled manpower services.

Operation Smile - Free Surgery for children cleft plate cleft lip:

Children having cleft palate and cleft lip have been suffering for malnutrition as they cannot take their food normally for this deformity and so also they cannot speak normally like the other normal children. Such children remain to have left unattended for want of facilities of surgery of cleft palate and cleft lip in the state of Assam. Such treatment available in limited hospitals outside Assam and is a costly affair hence it was a dream for most of the children as their guardians cannot afford to bear such cost.

Realizing the pathetic condition of these children, Govt. of Assam joined hand with the internationally reputed NGO the OPERATION SMILE having their required Experts of international fame with sophisticated equipments for the purpose to undertake treatment for those children in the state of Assam. Accordingly they agreed to provide their services at MMC hospital Guwahati by holding periodical camp treatment. Out of 4003 children screened so far, 2030 children have already been cured from such deformity free of cost including transportation, food and lodging of the children along with their guardians with surgery at MMCH, Guwahati. It is proposed to set up a Comprehensive Cleft & Child Care Centre at MMCH in this year.

School Health Programme:

Under this Programme students studying in standard I to IV from urban Schools and I to X from rural schools are examined every year and provides free of cost medical services. NRHM with the help of Sarva Siksha Abhijan covers the students from all rural schools. Schools health services are being carried out by 23 schools in the state.

AYUSH:

Scheme under Ayurvedic and Homoeopathic sections will be continued during the period of 11^th Five Year Plan. The sections under AYUSH which will be implemented in Assam are:

1. Ayurvedic, 2. Yoga & Naturopathy, 3. Homoeopathy.

The Continuing Schemes under AYUSH are:

• Reorientation training of AYUSH personnel.

• Short-term Continuing Medical Education (CME) Programme for general AYUSH practitioners.

• Schemes under I.E.C.

• Centrally Sponsored Scheme (CSS) for control of Ayurvedic and Homoeopathic drugs.

Proposals have been taken up to introduce treatment through Yoga & Naturopathy in the District Civil Hospitals/CHCs/PHCs in phased manner.

One New Directorate of AYUSH is under process for establishment.

Family Welfare:

The Family Welfare Programme, now a centrally sponsored programme under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) is being implemented in the State since 1956 to reduce the birth rate to stabiles the population, and to improve the health of mothers and child. However, socio-economic factors such as female literacy, age at marriage of girls, status of women and discouragement of strong preference for son influence the main objective of the programme. Though the sterilization was the mainstay of family welfare programme in the past, spacing between births of two children is also an equally important aspect under the programme.

The Government is giving more stress on propagations of spacing methods like Coppee-T, Intra Uterine Device (IUD), Conventional contraceptives (CC) etc. Expenditure incurred under this Family welfare Programme for the period for 2008-09 & 2009-10 was Rs.156.60 crore.

Performance of Family welfare Programme:

Source: Economic Survey Assam 2010-11

Universal Immunization Programme:

Universal Immunization Programme is implemented to achieve 100 percent immunization and to reduce mortality and morbidity among infants and young children due to vaccine 6 (Six) preventable disease such as tuberculosis, diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, polio and measles. Expenditure incurred during 2009-10 was about Rs.17.85 crore to carried out Universal Immunization Programme in the State.

Number of Beneficiaries under Universal Immunization Programme 2009-10:

Source: Economic Survey Assam 2010-11

Incidence of Cancers:

Considering the rise of the incidence of Cancers, Cancer Control Programme has been launched in the State as per Govt. of India’s guideline. In the 1^st phase, early Cancer Detection Centres have been set up in Jorhat, Dhubri and Cachar. Two more Centres will be started in Darrang and Barpeta. There is Proposal for construction of Office building of Public Analyst, Drugs Inspector/Food Inspector in each district Head Quarter.

Water Supply and Sanitation:

Providing safe drinking water and safe sanitation facilities to the uncovered and under served rural population is the major and prime task to cater the needs for health and improve the quality of life. Rural water supply and sanitation facilities are essential ingredients in the total programme for rural development. Although most of the habitations (more than 90% ) are covered by goods number of water supply schemes due to quality problem and sustainability of sources as well as lack of peoples participations, increase in population some habitations slipped back from full coverage. To eliminate these drawbacks, a new approach has formulated under National Rural Drinking Water Programme (NRDWP).

Annual Plan- 2009-10:

A physical target is set to render water supply benefit to 6765 nos. of un covered habitation and tackling of water quality problem of 6087 nos. of quality affected habitations during 2009-10 under Rural Water Supply Sector. With the allocated amount of Rs.15400.00 lakh under State Plan in general areas and Rs.51891.72 Lakh under Central Sector including Sixth scheduled areas is proposed.

Again, under Rural Sanitation Sector it is targeted to construct 510000 nos. of Individual Household Latrine, 24442 nos. of School Sanitary Block, 13650 nos. of Anganwadi Toilets and 113 nos. of community Sanitary Complex at a projected cost of Rs.4000.O0 lakh under State Plan.

Annual Plan- 2010-11:

A Physical target is set to render water supply benefit to 7690 nos. of uncovered habitations and 9400 nos. of quality affected habitations during 2010-11 under rural water supply sector and for achieving this target Rs.20390.00 lakh under State plan in general areas and Rs.121689.00 lakh under central sector is proposed.

Again, under Rural Sanitation Sector it is targeted to construct Rs.713000 nos. of Individual Household Latrine and 113 nos. of community sanitary complex at a projected cost of Rs.5616.00 lakh under State sector.

Physical and Financial target under State Sector during Eleventh Plan:

It is proposed to cover 3433 nos. NC and 2554 nos. of PC habitations and 25203 nos. of quality affected habitations under general areas of plain districts with safe drinking water facilities from state sector during the Eleventh Five Year Plan with a total proposed amount of Rs.73185.00 lakh under rural water supply sector and Rs.11000.00 lakh under rural sanitation sector for total sanitation campaign for all the district.

Physical and Financial target under Central Sector during Eleventh Plan:

It is proposed to cover, 10300 nos. of NC, 8361 nos. of PC habitations and 25203 nos. of quality affected habitations under General areas of Plain districts with safe drinking water facilities.

Bharat Nirman:

Uncovered habitations 33909 numbers are targeted to cover during the Eleventh Five Year Plan. Further, quality affected habitations 29066 numbers are targeted to cover within the period. Besides, all the remaining primary and upper primary schools are also targeted to cover during eleventh five year plan. To achieve the entire target Rs.354750.00 under Central sector and Rs.73185.00 lakh under State sector is proposed during eleventh five year plan.