The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : National Urban Health Mission to take off in two months

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Tuesday, Jan 06, 2009
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

National Urban Health Mission to take off in two months

Staff Reporter

Foundation stone laid for enhancing facilities at Bangalore Medical College

— Photo: BHAGYA PRAKASH K.

Additional blocks: Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Anbumani Ramadoss inaugurating the upgradation of Bangalore Medical College in Bangalore on Monday.

Bangalore: The Centre’s proposed National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) that will cover a population of over 22 crore in 429 cities, will take off in the next two months, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Anbumani Ramadoss said here on Monday.

He was speaking after laying the foundation stone for the upgradation of Bangalore Medical College under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY).

New buildings

The upgradation includes construction of a super speciality hospital, nursing college and nursing hostel.

The Minister said the mission would be taken up in cities with a population of above one lakh and would cover a slum population of five crore, as the focus would be on urban slums.

Urban health centre

“One Urban Social Health Activist (USHA) will be deployed for every 100 households and an urban health centre would be set up for every 50,000 people. These centres will have doctors, nurses and midwives,” he said.

Health insurance

He said that the main component of the programme was health insurance for the urban poor and slum dwellers, where the premium will be paid by the Central Government, and the envisaged cost of the project was Rs. 8,000 crore for the next four years.

The Centre will also shortly launch National School Health Mission, where all schoolchildren would be screened for health problems.

“We also plan to include health and yoga as a mandatory subject in schools. It is good that Karnataka has already started yoga in its schools,” the Union Health Minister said.

Upset with the mass hysteria created during the national pulse polio programme in Karnataka, Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare Anbumani Ramadoss said: “No child has been harmed after being administered polio drops."

He added: "We are spending crores of rupees on this programme and the campaign has been carefully planned and implemented. People who were involved in spreading rumours during the campaign are anti-nationals and they should be jailed for this,” he said.

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