Koraput: The district administration has decided to make the newly-constructed 50-bed model maternity and child (MCH) care ward at Phulobado, on the outskirts of Jeypore, in the district operational from April 25.
The decision was taken at the Rogi Kalyan Samiti meeting held under the chairmanship of Jeypore MLA Tara Prasad Bahinipati recently.
"It has been decided to make the MCH care ward operational on or before April 25 and the building work is ready," said sub-divisional medical officer of Jeypore D.B. Tripathy.
With an aim to arrest the infant mortality rate (IMR) and the maternity mortality rate (MMR) in the tribal-dominated district by promoting institutional deliveries, the building has been constructed at a cost of more than Rs 8 crore funded by the National Health Mission (NHM) and was inaugurated by the chief minister Naveen Patnaik during his visit to Jeypore in December 2016.
"This ward is going to be very helpful for pregnant women and newborns of this tribal district. Though functioning of the building has been delayed by almost one year for various reasons, it has now been decided to make it operational from this month," said Bahinipati.
The five-storey ward is spread over 7,000 square feet and will be equipped with all sophisticated equipment to take care of the mothers and newborns. All post-delivery and critical cases could be treated at the new ward.
Officials said though majority of work of the ward was complete, some minor alteration was required to make the ward operational which would also be completed soon.
As the sub-divisional hospital of Jeypore was accorded a district hospital status in August 2016, it is planned to function the district hospital from the MCH building and for it necessary changes is being carried out.
"I have urged the state government for appointment of adequate doctors and to take the needful steps to ensure the early shifting of the district headquarters hospital from Koraput to Jeypore," said Bahinipati.
Infant mortality rate is more than 40 per 1,000 live births and maternal mortality rate is 175 per one lakh live births in the district mainly due to non-institutional deliveries.
