Managing Trustee meets senior NRHM officials in Delhi

Managing Trustee Sanjoy Hazarika held a meeting with senior officials of the National Rural Health Mission in New Delhi to discuss the ongoing partnership between C-NES and NRHM in Assam. The meeting, on 5 July, between Mr. Hazarika, Mr. Pradhan, head and Executive Director of the NRHM, and Mr. Naved Masood, Special Secretary was held at the Ministry of Health. At the discussion, issues relating to the PPP as well as other aspects of health including the significant improvement of Assam’s MMR statistics, a 90 point drop from 480 in 2005-06 to 390 figured. MMR is the rate of women who die in child birth as a proportion of the population.

Assam has seen significant efforts by the state government in the health field to bring down MMR IMR and TFR (Total Fertility Rates). They agreed that much work remains to be done as Assam is still the worst performer in the MMR sector, ranking at the bottom, below Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh which had an MMR rate of 308.

Mr. Pradhan spoke with appreciation of the work of C-NES’ 15 boat clinics, having seen it in action at Morigaon, central Assam, and how the work was reaching the most vulnerable groups.