Date:16/12/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/12/16/stories/2007121653750300.htm

Andhra Pradesh

Centre to launch Urban Health Mission

Staff Reporter

Union Minister unveils Public Information Campaign

Primary health services, sanitation, institutional deliveries etc. to be taken up under the mission
108 EMRI facilities to be extended across the country

— Photo: S. Rambabu

awareness Matters: A couple showing its ailing child to Union Minister of State for Health Panabaka Lakshmi at Amalapuram on Saturday. MP Harsha Kumar is seen.

Amalapuram: Union Minister of State for Health Panabaka Lakshmi announced that Center has decided to launch Urban Health Mission on the lines of Rural Health Mission soon and it will address the health problems of urban poor.

Inaugurating Bharat Nirman – Public Information Campaign (Utsav) on Saturday in GMC Balayogi Stadium here, she said that primary health services, sanitation, personal hygiene, nutrition, encouraging institutional deliveries and other health services would be taken up under Urban Health Mission. She said that her Ministry has decided to extend 108 EMRI facilities country-wide immediately, which would help in all emergencies and increase institutional deliveries.

She said that there are 5 lakh women in the country, who are working as Asha volunteers under Rural Health Mission and they could be appointed for Urban Health Mission as well.

Dreams to come true

Under Bharat Nirman Public Information Campaign the dreams of Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi would be fulfilled by laying roads, providing drinking water, power, schools, PHCs and telecommunication to remote areas, the Union Minister said, adding that State government is ahead of all states in implementing 25 paise interest loans to women, Arogyasri and other novel schemes.

Rajahmundry MP Vundavelli Aruna Kumar said that Arogyasri became a boon for poor and asked the white card holders to utilize the benefit. He asked the parents to send their children to schools up to 10th class and rest of the studies will be looked after by the government.

East Godavari Collector M. Subrahmanyam said that they have distributed Rs.300 crores of 25 paise interest loans in the district and another Rs.10 crores would be distributed.

Amalapupram MP G.V. Harshakumar, who presided over the meeting gave information about the five-day event.