Every Pregnant Woman Must Receive Thayi Card, Uttara Kannada DC Directs Health Officials
Deputy Commissioner K. Lakshmipriya calls for continuous monitoring of pregnant women and newborns and better access to government health benefits.
Uttara Kannada Deputy Commissioner K. Lakshmipriya has directed health officials to ensure that every woman whose pregnancy is confirmed receives a Thayi Card and is monitored regularly until delivery.
She issued the instruction while chairing the District Health Mission meeting of the District Health and Family Welfare Society at the KSWAN Hall of the Zilla Panchayat on Monday.
The Deputy Commissioner said pregnant women should be registered for the Thayi Card at the earliest and provided with all government benefits available through various departments.
She also stressed the need for regular health checkups, timely medical care, vaccinations and medicines throughout pregnancy.
Lakshmipriya directed officials to collect information about pregnant women receiving treatment at private hospitals and ensure that they too are registered for Thayi Cards and receive the government services available to them.
She further instructed health officials to ensure that essential vaccines and medicines are provided free of cost at the appropriate time.
C section deliveries account for 44 percent
Health department officials informed the meeting that Uttara Kannada recorded 5,053 deliveries between April and July this year.
Of these, 2,211 were C section deliveries, accounting for 44 percent of all births during the period.
No maternal deaths were reported in the district during these four months, officials said.
The Deputy Commissioner also asked officials to meet the prescribed targets under all vaccination programmes being implemented by the health department.
She stressed the importance of regularly checking medicine stocks at hospitals and taking timely action to prevent shortages.
Greater focus on newborn care
Zilla Panchayat Chief Executive Officer Dr. Dileesh Shashi said hospitals should discharge inpatients only after their health has improved sufficiently and they have recovered from their condition.
He also called for greater attention to the care of newborn babies in hospitals.
Mothers should be given clear guidance on newborn care, feeding and nutrition in a language they can easily understand. They should also be made aware of safe practices for caring for their babies at home, he said.
Dr. Shashi further instructed hospitals to maintain adequate stocks of medicines required to treat snakebite and dog bite cases.
The meeting also included a detailed review of various health department programmes and their implementation across the district.
District Health and Family Welfare Officer Dr. Sanjay Doddamani, RCH Officer Dr. Nataraj, programme officers Dr. Shankar Rao, Captain Dr. Ramesh Rao, Dr. Ashwini Borkar and Dr. Prasanna, along with KRIMS doctor Dr. Hemagiri and taluk health officers, participated in the meeting virtually.