State gets Rs 806-cr grant under national health mission
CHANDIGARH: The Central government has approved a grant of Rs 806 crore under the National Health Mission (NHM) programme for 2017-18 for Punjab.
State health and family welfare minister Brahm Mohindra said that with this grant they were looking forward to bring improvement in the health sector of Punjab with the setting up about 200 health and wellness centres. At these centres, citizens will be provided preventive, primary, curative health and health-care services. The minister added Rs 12.65 crore had been given to conduct special courses for staff nurses to train them for primary health care.
These staff nurses will then be posted at sub-centres and community health officers. He added that to meet the shortage of specialists, especially Gynaecologists and Paediatricians, Diplomate of National Board (DNB) course at district hospital Ludhiana had been approved.
“All districts and sub-divisional hospitals will be computerised in a phased manner, For this, a proposal of Rs 9.45 crore has been approved,” he added.
Meanwhile, the state government is also planning to provide free treatment to the elderly (senior citizens) and equipment and drugs to all the health institutions including free drugs and diagnostics.
The union government has also approved Rs 29.9 crore for flagship schemes of Janani Shishu Surakhs ha Kary aka ram (JSSK) and Janani Surakhsha Yojna (JSY). Under these schemes, free treatment is provided to all pregnant women and infants.
Another Rs 16 crore has also been approved for Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakaram (RBSK) for health screening of children in government and aided schools.