State Health Dept enlists its achievements in the last 16 years

SAGAR CHHETTRI
GANGTOK, 16 Feb: The Department of Health Care, Human Services & Family Welfare [HCHSFW] highlighted on the ongoing National and State government programmes and schemes and achievements of the State in the health sector in the last 16 years during a press meet held here today.
The press meet was addressed by the HCHSFW Secretary, Dr Kumar Bhandari, IPR Secretary, KS Topgay and HCHSFW Spokesperson, Dr Tshering Ethenpa.
During the press meet, Dr Ethenpa gave a detailed presentation on the programmes, schemes and achievements of the department. He thoroughly explained about the national programmes running in the state like National Rural Health Mission, Sikkim State AIDS Control Programme, National Mental Health Programme and etc. He also explained about the state government programmes like Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Annual and Total Health Check-up for Healthy Sikkim [CATCH] programme, Hepatitis-B vaccination programme, Mukhya Mantri Sishu Suraksha Avum Sutkeri Sahayog Yojana and Accredited Social Health Activists [ASHA] Incentives Scheme and etc.
While presenting the list of achievements of the state in the last 16 years [1994-95 to 2010-11], Dr Ethenpa informed that Sikkim has been declared as a Cretin Free State since 2003-04 by the Government of India and Sikkim is the first state to launch the Hepatitis-B vaccination programme on 14 August 2001. He further informed that the state recorded a rise in civil registration of births from 20.8% to 87% and civil registration of deaths from 7.85% to 97%.
Sikkim was the recipient of the 4th JRD Tata Memorial Award 2008 for outstanding performance in important health indicators and was also the first state to ban the sale of Gutka and Smoking in public places and also banned the sale of non-iodized salt to prevent iodine deficiency disorders. It was informed that the state has also waived all charges on medical investigation for senior citizens of 65 years of age and above.
Likewise, the state recorded a drop in Infant Mortality Rate from 49 to 30, Crude Death Rate from 6.9 to 5.6, Crude Birth Rate also went down from 24.6 to 17.8 and Total Fertility Rate from 3.5 to 2.02. The rate of Goiter [Iodine Deficiency Disorder] has also gone down from 54.03 to 13.37 and Cretinism to nil from 3.46. The presentation also included the increase in manpower, up-gradation and addition of the medical infrastructure and facilities across the state.
It was informed that so far 436 BPL patients have benefitted under the State Illness Assistance Fund for treatment outside the state and around 350 patients have benefitted under the Mukhya Mantri Jeevan Raksha Kosh Scheme for treatment outside the state. Likewise, 160 patients were provided with the latest Behind-The-Ear hearing aids. Sikkim is also the first state to introduce Measles, Mumps and Rubella [MMR] vaccination programme from the State Plan Budget and also the first state to introduce CATCH programme in the country.
The state has also formulated the State Health and Population Policy and increased the health budget from Rs 14.64 crore to Rs 246.71 crore.