The Telangana state health department is embarking on a comprehensive plan to upgrade about 500 maternity hospitals as per World Health Organization (WHO) standards. As part of this initiative, Dr C Laxma Reddy, minister for health and family welfare issued orders to the maternity hospitals in the state to procure all necessary infrastructure needed as per the international standards.  

While reviewing on the implementation of Janani Suraksha Yojana, Jananani Shishu Suraksha, Sukhabhava Healthcare Schemes meant for the welfare of the mother and child in the state, the minister said, “Our goal is to achieve drastic reduction in the mother mortality and infant mortality rates in the state and ensure 100 per cent results. We are planning to upgrade all necessary facilities as per the WHO norms and want to increase the number of deliveries in the government maternity hospitals.”

However, in the recent times, the conditions in the maternity hospitals in the state have been deteriorating due to lack of adequate skilled doctors, nurses and facilities. Moreover, the lackadaisical attitude of the existing workforce in the maternity hospitals is also a main reason for many maternal and infant deaths.  This is evident when recently a pregnant woman admitted at Mahabubnagar district hospital died due to negligence of the doctors and similar cases of infant deaths in Koti Maternity Hospital in Hyderabad.

Having learned about all these issues, the minister has decided to provide skilled training to the healthcare workers in all the maternity hospitals and at the same time directed the concerned healthcare authorities to work with a mission mode to achieve the set targets. “We are ready to spend any amount to improve healthcare facilities in the state. Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao is giving highest priority for healthcare and accordingly we have directed the concerned authorities to upgrade all necessary facilities and require medical equipments in all the 500 maternity hospitals across the state,” informed the Minister.

To ensure quality healthcare services to the common public, the state government has decided to review on a monthly basis and accordingly has set targets to each Primary Healthcare Centers to share all information with the District Health Centers (DHCs) and resolve the issues in a time bound manner.