Shillong, Aug 19: Health and Family Welfare Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh today said that public participation in Meghalaya is one of the reasons for the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) coming down.
Speaking to reporters, Lyngdoh had a word of praise for the village health councils in the state who have come forward to try and consolidate on the safety of mothers and infants.
“We expect the numbers (of IMR and MMR) to drop down much more and we must achieve the national average,” the minister said.
Meghalaya’s IMR and MMR have been improving over the years but from a very low ranking.
According to her, the Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma is very clear that every primary health centre and even sub-centres where deliveries take place must not only be safe but also should focus on childcare.
Lyngdoh also said that the nutrition of children is a main focus in some of the inter-departmental efforts being put in by the government.
“The convergence model is not just the Education Department but also Social Welfare and Health, which will work together towards ensuring that nutrition of children is a top priority in every district and every block, and we are managing these improvements and our parameters have impacted positively on citizens across the board,” she added.
The minister stated that her department is conducting ground awareness programmes with mothers through various health workers, including ASHAs. These efforts are to spread awareness to ensure that every mother practises spacing between births in order to recover their strength before having another child.
