Jaipur: Rajasthan Chief Secretary V Srinivas has stepped up monitoring of the state’s health system following maternal deaths reported over the past four months, directing officials to plug gaps and ensure essential services remain functional.At a review meeting via video link from the health directorate Monday, Srinivas directed officials to develop modular operation theatres in medical institutions in phases to strengthen tertiary healthcare.He reviewed maternal and child health services and the Pradhan Mantri Ayushman Bharat Health Infrastructure Mission.Srinivas said better patient care depended on use of existing resources and ensuring essential facilities remained functional. He directed officials to ensure 100% functionality of newborn care units at community health centres and other institutions. Chief medical and health officers were asked to monitor these units.Reviewing maternal and child health services, Srinivas said continuous monitoring had improved the maternal mortality rate. He directed officials to ensure strict compliance with guidelines aimed at reducing maternal deaths and intensify monitoring.He also ordered autoclave machines to be available and functional at all institutions conducting deliveries. Hospital superintendents were asked to assess bed occupancy against available services regularly.Srinivas called for reviewing the availability and ratio of gynaecologists and paediatricians according to delivery loads. Clear duty rosters must be prepared and strictly followed in every unit to prevent service gaps, he said.He appreciated the Prasav Sakhi help desk programme for women delivering in hospitals and called for improvements to provide better guidance to women and families.The chief secretary also sought more effective tele-consultation from sub-health centres to community health centres and directed medical colleges to make paediatric cardiology and paediatric neurology units fully functional.
