AGARTALA, Feb 3 (TIWN): Whereas the State Govt here claims about excellent health service in Tripura and supplying enough nutrition through food items & other facilities to the children as well as women of the rural areas, but on Friday a Govt data was released which exposed that 21 % children die in Tripura per thousand due to lack of nutrition. Moreover the sex-ratio of Girl-Child & Boy-Child is also not at all satisfactory : 961 women per thousand men. A review meeting held at Pragna Bhawan, on named ‘Rogi Kalyan Samiti’ where Health Minister Badal Choudhury remained present. Apart from Choudhury, S K Yadav Mission Director NHM, Rakesh Sarwal, Principal Secretary to HFW, S K Chakma MS, SHFWs were present. As per the IPHS Diet rules, the standards for New born stabilization unit, MTP facilities for second trimester pregnancy (desirable), The Integrated Counseling and Testing Centre (ICTC), Blood storage and link Anti Retroviral Therapy centre must be there in PHCs, but although the fluent fund is flowing in the name of various health mission, in reality 99 % PHCs in Tripura just for name-shake.

The revised IPHS (CHC) has considered the services, infrastructure, manpower, equipments and drugs in two categories of Essential (minimum assured services) and Desirable but the guidelines are properly followed.

As a result the child death rate here is just increasing faster. As per Govt data the death is 21 %, thus it can be imagined that  in reality what will be the condition of death rate in state.

Earlier, also at Rajya Sabha Union Health Minister, J P Nadda reported in 2015-16, one fourth of infants less than 5 years old are suffering from malnutrition. The estimation is 24.3 percent. Half of these infants (48.3%) are suffering from anaemia. Half of infants less than two years old refuse vaccination.

 It has been further stated in the report that barely 13.4 percent of pregnant women in Tripura consume Iron and Follic Acid tablets. Transfusion of blood below the requisite haemoglobin level is harmful for the doner and recipient as well.

 As per the National Family Health Survey 2015-16 is concerned, 24.7 percent male (aged 15 to 49) and 54.5 percent female (aged 15 to 49) in Tripura are suffering from anaemia.  The estimation is 24.3 percent. Half of these infants (48.3%) are suffering from anaemia.

Badal Choudhury may act like ignorant but few basic state issues, which Health Minister must know, so it’s necessary to remind his officials :

1.     Who can forget about Tripura’s Rs. 30 crore’s NHM scam?

2.     What will Health Minister say about 3 Children’s death at Dharmanagar hospitals?  

3.     What about daily children deaths, bed shortage in Agartala’s renowned hospitals?

4.     How far the govt has been successful to provide sufficient doctors & infrastructure to govt hospitals?

5.     What is about the latest NHM scam which led more than 500 students to hospitals at Dharmanagar with Deworming tablets?

6.     Udaipur hospital’s last year’s expire saline providing scam?Increasing mid day meal corruptions?Increasing anaemia deaths?

However, to all these queries the Govt has no answer rather than comparing the national level of deaths and the states which are equally failed to control the child-death.