KURNOOL: Kotla Jayasurya Prakasa Reddy, MP, has stressed the need for streamlining the functioning of Primary Health Centres (PHCs) to improve health services in rural areas.

Addressing a meeting after formally launching the weeklong campaign on health aspects by the Field Publicity Department of the Union Government, he said health was an important indicator for human resource development.

Rural areas deprived

The fruits of scientific development in the health sector did not the reach the rural populations for various reasons. Keeping view the gap in the health services, the Union Government had launched the National Rural Health Mission. The important features of the scheme included engaging one health activist for 1,000 population and development of Indian system of medicine, which was accessible to many.

Mr. Reddy said maternity and infant mortality rate should be brought down to change the whole health scenario. This would be possible only when institutional deliveries were increased.

Collector Vikas Raj said consanguine marriages was the main cause for many congenital diseases. The prejudices associated with the health problems should be removed through education. Superstitions and prejudices were more dangerous than diseases themselves. Cultural troupes from the Song and Drama Division, Chennai, presented cultural programmes on health.

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