Andhra Pradesh and Telangana jointly ranked worse than underdeveloped states such as Jharkhand and Uttarakhand in terms of infant mortality rate (IMR), with out of every 1,000, 41 infant breathe their last before they reach the age of one year.
The IMR for united AP state was much higher, which local officials largely attribute to the Telangana statehood agitation?
According to the just released ‘State of India’s Newborns-2014′, a nationwide survey report on neonatal health indicators, united AP figured at the bottom of south Indian states comprising Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu.
The IMR in Uttarakhand and Jharkhand stood at 34 and 38 infant deaths per every 1,000 live births respectively.
The international NGO Save the Children, Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), All India Institute of Medical Sciences and the Union ministry of health and family welfare prepared the report.
Is the neonatal care in government hospitals in AP and Telangana has not been addressed?.
Dr B Balram, vice-president, Telangana Government Doctors’ Association said,”The damning report points to our failure in implementing centrally-funded schemes like Janani Sishu Suraksha Karyakram in AP and Telangana. The other main problem is lack of convergence among officials, primary health centres, medium-sized government hospitals and teaching hospitals respectively.”
However, both the commissioners representing Vaidya Vidhana Parishad (VVP) in Telangana and AP, K Veena Kumari and P Kanakadurga respectively, had a different take on the poor performance on neonatal indicators.
“The bifurcation blues and prolonged statehood agitation had an adverse impact on the health delivery system. Besides there were health cadre strength issues,” said P Kanakadurga, commissioner, AP, VVP. Whereas her Telangana counterpart, K Veena Kumari, put the blame on the severe shortage of pediatricians in all the 44 state-run special newborn facilities in the undivided AP, out of which 18 are in Telangana and the remaining 26 in AP. “Though four pediatricians are needed to man a single special newborn care unit, we are doing with just MBBS doctors as they (pediatricians) are not willing to work for Rs 45,000 a month,” she said.