Dhenkanal: A 16-member Health Department delegation led by Commissioner-cum-Secretary, Health and Family Welfare, Aswathy S. visited Dhenkanal district today to assess health institutions, Anganwadi centres and health infrastructure.
After field visits, a high-level review meeting was held in the presence of District Collector Ashish Iswar Patil. The meeting reviewed maternal and child health, infection prevention and control systems and implementation of various health programmes.
Key issues discussed included upgrading of delivery rooms and operation theatres, promotion of Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) and Mamata Divas, routine check-up and counselling of high-risk pregnant women, proper allocation of human resources, utilization of equipment, maintenance of records, hybrid ICU management and regular audit of patients referred to SCB Medical College.
The meeting also discussed safe disposal of expired medicines, successful implementation of the AMLAN programme in schools and provision of Iron Folic Acid (IFA) to students, and stressed accountability with regular field visits by district and block health officers.
During the visit, Aswathy S. inspected the District Headquarters Hospital, visited various wards and interacted with officials on healthcare delivery. She also visited the Anganwadi Centre at Colony Sahi and interacted with children and staff on health schemes.
The Commissioner-cum-Secretary also visited the land identified for the proposed new medical college in Dhenkanal and expressed satisfaction with the location. She reviewed ongoing civil construction works related to health infrastructure and directed officials to expedite work while maintaining quality and timelines.
She stressed regular monitoring, proper coordination and adherence to prescribed protocols to ensure quality and timely healthcare for people.CDO-cum-EO Pratima Ranjan Sethi, CDMO Sanjay Kumar Mahapatre, Sadar BDO Rahul Mandal, Sadar Tehsildar Swadhin Kumar Behera and other senior officials were present.
