More women and children survive today than before, according to UNICEF and the World Health Organization (WHO). This is primarily because of the better health and other facilities than before. Nevertheless, any laxity is bound to prove damaging.
Women and newborns are most vulnerable during and immediately after childbirth and globally, as per WHO, estimated 2.8 million pregnant women and newborns die every year, or one every 11 seconds, mostly of preventable causes.
Children face the highest risk of dying in the first month, especially if they are born too soon or too small, have complications during birth, congenital defects, or contract infections, the global body underlines. About a third of these deaths occur within the first day and nearly three quarters in the first week alone.
This scenario calls for improving the facilities in an up-to-date manner. It is in this context that the High Court of J&K and Ladakh earlier this week observed, while closing a Public Interest Litigation, that the authorities should strengthen the existing facilities for both the children and women in the “best advancement of the medical system” in Jammu and Kashmir.
The court’s observation followed perusal of a report by Financial Commissioner Health & Medical Education Department that a separate paediatrics hospital having specialties in paediatrics department like paediatric surgery, paediatric cardiology, paediatric oncology, paediatric gastroenterology etc has been established at Bemina, near Hajj House, Srinagar. He also revealed that two new two New Maternity Hospitals of 200 beds capacity each were sanctioned by the Ministry of Health & family Welfare, Government of India, one each at Srinagar and Jammu, to strengthen the maternity related services and facilities in the J&K.
These projects are bound to strengthen the healthcare services of the concerned areas and help increase life expectancy and decrease IMR/ MMR in the region. These decisions are welcome on part of the government. Building quality infrastructure is very important. All places including the far-flung areas need to have adequate, affordable, and reliable healthcare facilities.
While the administration has taken many steps towards reducing the gap between rural and urban areas and between the rich and the poor, disparities still remain, and access to superior healthcare, more so in rural areas still remains a huge challenge. There is need to build a strong and comprehensive primary healthcare system to accomplish further advancements in health status of the populations and to reduce various disparities. Also there is continuous need to provide latest facilities as rightly observed by the Top Court, common to J&K and Ladakh.
