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| Neo-natal health care in peril, JK records highest deaths | | J&K Health Ministry's India Today award? | | Syed Junaid Hashmi
ET Report
JAMMU, Nov 30: Awarded by India Today group for excellence in healthcare sector, Health and Medical Education Department has been unable to strengthen neo-natal care, a reflection of which is Jammu and Kashmir having highest neo-natal death rate in the country.
The increasing incidences of neo-natal deaths in Jammu and Kashmir bear testimony to the fact that not much has changed in the healthcare sector in the last 34 years. Ironically, J&K had lowest incidences of neo-natal deaths when the health sector was in infancy in the state and people had no option but to travel several hundred kilometers for finding a hospital for child birth.
Now, when the facilities, as claimed by the Health and Medical Education minister are at the doorsteps of the people; high neo-natal deaths indicate failure of the state in delivering quality and effective services. Health and Family Welfare Statistics of India-2015 digest, a copy of which is with Early Times, has clearly shown that J&K registered huge percentage of neo-natal deaths when compared with other states in the country.
J&K saw highest percentage of neo-natal infant deaths i.e. around 78.4 percent in the year 2013-14, for which the state has been awarded by the India Today group. Number of deaths per 1000 population was around 29 which is higher than national average of 29 deaths per 1000 population of the neo-natal infants. This is despite the fact that state has been claiming of having improved the infant care set-up across all the health institutions of the state.
More embarrassing for the Health Minister who despite strict Supreme Court order has put up his hoardings and billboards across Jammu city about the award given to his department is the fact that crude birth rate in J&K declined from 31 in 1981 to 17.5 in the year 2013, thus a steep decline of around 13 points in the last three decades. This dismal scenario is despite the fact that healthcare sector has been awarded by India Today group.
Not only crude birth rate but even the fertility rate has declined from 2.3 to 1.9 in the last 30 years in which the department currently headed by the Health Minister has progressed by leaps and bounds, as self-claimed by him. Fertility rate of any population is defined as the average number of children that would be born to a woman during her reproductive age. The total fertility rate of Jammu and Kashmir is 1.9 which is decline of about 17.8 percent.
Not only this, the fertility contribution of young age couples is dismal when compared with high age groups. The fertility contribution of high age group i.e. above 35 years is far more than below this age, which is otherwise known as middle age. Hence, it is middle age woman which is contributing to the fertility index of Jammu and Kashmir, not the young and newly-wed.
Though there are certain field where J&K has been doing well but overall, the scenario needs major reform initiatives. According to the digest, DPT immunisation drive of J&K state has gone down with just 38 percent of the target fixed by the government having been completed. TT immunization drive too has slowed down with drop in percentage achievement from 64.4 percent in 2013-14 to 59 percent in the year 2014-15, for which the state has been awarded.
This is the dismal scenario of healthcare sector in Jammu and Kashmir yet India Today for the perimeters better known to it has awarded the state. It needs to be shared here that J&K's infrastructural woes are known to one and all yet India Today group once awarded the state for having best infrastructure in the country. |
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