Uttarakhand

• 27 Mar 2023

50 Health ATMs to be installed on Travel Routes

Why in News?

On 26 March 2023, an MoU was signed between the Health Department and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) in the presence of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, to install 50 health ATMs on the yatra routes in order to provide better health facilities to the pilgrims visiting Chardham Yatra in Uttarakhand for the first time.

Key Points

• On this occasion, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami said that installation of health ATMs in Chardham Yatra will provide a lot of convenience to the devotees.
• Ankur Malhotra, Director of Hewlett Packard Enterprise, informed that health ATMs are being made available for Chardham Yatra under CSR, in which more than 70 tests can be done.
• Along with the test, specialist doctors can be consulted through telemedicine from the Health ATM. These services will be provided 24 hours by Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
• The Health ATM will be looked after by the company's engineers for the next three months. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami will inaugurate it on April 24, 2023.
• The Chief Minister said that the facility of Health ATM should also be provided by Hewlett Packard Enterprise for the holy places Manasarovar Yatra, Baijnath Dham, Kainchi Dham, Purnagiri, Chitai Dham located in Manskhand. On the lines of Kedarkhand, Health ATM Medical Kiosk machines will be made available under CSR for Manskhand.
• Health facilities are being constantly improved so that the devotees do not face any health related problems during the Chardham Yatra.

Birth Waiting Home Facility for Pregnant Women

Why in News?

On 25 March 2023, Health Secretary of Uttarakhand, Dr. R. Rajesh Kumar said that under the Maternal Health Program in the state, the central government has approved the proposal to provide a facility of Birth Waiting Home to high-risk pregnant women before the expected date of delivery.

Key Points

• The facility of birth waiting homes will be done in a one stop center and working women's hostel established in all 13 districts of the state.
• To reduce the problem of malnutrition among children in the age group of 1 month to 5 years in the state, a nutrition rehabilitation center will be set up in border district Pithoragarh. In this center, malnourished and highly malnourished children will be admitted, and nutritional care will be provided according to the standards.
• Health Secretary Dr.R. Rajesh Kumar said that the Health Ministry has approved a budget of 150 crores for various schemes under the National Health Mission.
• Under the scheme, pregnant women living in remote areas will get timely medical care. Along with this, pregnant women will be comfortable before delivery. To encourage home delivery in institutional delivery, birth waiting homes will be used in community health centers of hilly districts.
• The Health Secretary informed that mobile TB vans will be started in Dehradun, Haridwar, Pauri, Udham Singh Nagar and Nainital districts, in which X-ray and TrueNet machines will be installed for testing.
• Almora, Bageshwar, Chamoli, Champawat, Pithoragarh, Rudraprayag, Tehri, Uttarkashi were given consent in the Mobile Medical Unit with Mobile X-Ray. This will make it easier to screen TB patients. Approval has been given to provide mobile van facility for cataract screening in Tehri and Pithoragarh districts.
• ANM and Community Medical Officer will be given training in Basic Life Support. NHM office and training hall has been approved in Chamoli district.
• Queue management systems will be started in 14 hospitals to get rid of long queues for making slips of patients. In this, a token will be given to the patients, so that they do not have to stand in line. Apart from this, vacant posts in Community Health Center Bhupatwala will be filled through NNM.