UP to take ‘lessons’ in public health management from Maharashtra

Mumbai, Sep 15 (IANS) In the headlines for the deaths of over 70 infants in a Gorakhpur hospital last month, the Uttar Pradesh government will now take 'lessons' in health management from Maharashtra to improve its public health services, officials said here on Friday.

UP Health Minister Siddharthnath Singh and his counterpart in Maharashtra Deepak Sawant held a detailed meeting with top health officials in Mumbai on Friday on the various health schemes being undertaken in this state, measures taken to minimize mother-child death rates and other healthcare issues.

Both the state governments have agreed to set up a 'common mechanism' to increase the quality of health services rendered to the masses as an inter-state cooperation, Sawant announced.

On his part, Singh said that UP will collaborate with Maharashtra to implement its unique projects like telemedicine, motorbike ambulances, SNCU, COS Courses and others which are practiced in this state.

The visiting delegation was given a detailed presentation on various aspects of the 'Abhinav Yojana' public health services in Maharashtra and about the College of Physicians Course run here which makes available expert doctors, which Singh appreciated and said would be started in UP also.

Singh added that the Motorbike Ambulance in the state would prove important in providing health care through narrow roads and small lanes in congested cities like Kanpur, Benares, Agra and Meerut in UP, while telemedicine would help the state immensely as it is beset with shortage of medicos.

In order to guide and further improve the healthcare institutions in India's most populous state, Singh invited Sawant and his team to visit UP.

From Maharashtra, Principal Secretary of Health Pradeep Vyas, National Health Scheme Commissioner Sanjeev Kumar and health director Satish Pawar were present while the UP side was represented by Health Secretary V. Hekali Zhimomi and top officials of the Child Health Department.