Maternal deaths,infant mortality still areas of concern: Azad

The pace of decline in various key health indicators like IMR,MMR,Total Fertility Rate.

Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad said Wednesday that though the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) has been successful,key health indicators like maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and infant mortality ratio (IMR) remain areas of concern.

The pace of decline in various key health indicators like IMR,MMR,Total Fertility Rate and death and morbidity due to communicable diseases has not improved as compared to the pre-NRHM period. These areas are still of concern though we have achieved a lot so far, Azad said during his inaugural address at the State Health Ministers Conference in Hyderabad.

He said the Centre has provided Rs 53,000 crore to the states under NRHM in the last six years. One of the success stories of last year was polio eradication after the introduction of biovalent polio vaccine. There have been only 42 cases in 2010 as compared to nearly more than 700 cases in 2009. In the case of TB,we have achieved more than 72 per cent detection rate and 87 per cent cure rate,which are more than the WHO recommended levels.

The National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer,Diabetes,Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke,initiated in 100 districts across 21 states,will be expanded to all 650 districts in the country,he added.

Azad also said that the government was formulating the National Urban Health Mission,which would take care of the infrastructural needs at district and sub-divisional levels.

The two-day conference is being attended by 25 ministers of health,medical education and family welfare,and medical directors and health secretaries from the states.

Azad also asked state governments to set up more medical colleges and increase the number of students in post-MBBS and PG courses. We are proposing introduction of Bachelor of Rural Health course to overcome the shortage of medical staff in remote areas.

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The issue of common medical entrance test may also be discussed on Thursday. The CET was proposed by Medical Council of India but various states raised objection as quota to various sections would be affected.