The state Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services will focus on the upgradation of healthcare services in the primary health centres (PHCs) and government hospitals in the northern districts of the State during the RCH (Reproductive Child Health) Phase II commencing in April 2005.

The Directorate is also expected to go in for a massive recruitment drive of Auxiliary Midwife Nurses (AMNs) in the region under RCH Phase II because the region is facing a massive shortfall of AMNs. The northern districts include Bidar, Gulbarga, Raichur, Bellary, Koppal and Bijapur.

The ban on recruitment by the State government between 1993 and 1998 and the northern districts have resulted in the under-manning of AMNs.

The current strength of AMNs in the state is 10,255. There are around 800 vacancies. Every 18 months, the Directorate has made it mandatory to recruit 30 AMNs who undergo an intensive training of one and a half years at the 19 AMN training centres located in the 19 districts of the State. For each district, around 30 AMNs are hired and an additional recruitment is done from the Tribal areas of the State. We are expected to fill up the vacancies after one more round of recruitment, Dr. JN Raju, project director, RCH, Directorate of Health and Family Welfare Services, government of Karnataka told pharmabiz.com

The AMNs who are field workers serve mainly at the 1,676 primary health centres in the state and only a few are posted in the government hospitals. They are essentially field workers who conduct household surveys to track the number of pregnant women in the region and inform them about the maternity services available in the district. In addition to the AMNs, the state government has 320 gynaecologists working at its medical centres.

According to Dr. Raju, the major difference between the RCH phase I and II is the decentralisation of service. Unlike the Phase I, where a particular budget was allocated for the project annually by the Central Government, under Phase II, the districts have been instructed to provide their requirement for the project which would be submitted by the Directorate to sanction a 'plan-specific' budget.

The RCH Phase I has been looked up as a fairly successful project and the total sanctioned amount was Rs.175 crore including grants and materials for a period of five years. Details of the sanctions for RCH II are awaited, informed Dr. Raju.