Punjab Health Department has launched a new programme to establish Community Midwifery Homes in far-flung areas. The decision emerged on Tuesday following a speech made by Health Minister Aslam Hamayun at the opening of a two-day conference on 'reducing maternal mortality in Punjab'.
The conference was organised by the National Programme for Family Planning and Primary Health Care. Dr Hamayun said that the midwifery homes would be built in villages having 10,000 population in the first phase, followed by those with 5,000 population in the second one.
He said that his department was focussing on primary and protective healthcare to achieve millennium development goals. He appreciated the role of doctors, nurses and paramedics, especially lady health-workers and visitors in healthcare activities in rural areas.
"Community midwives and lady health visitors have to play a vital role in the health education of the rural folk being the backbone of our healthcare system," he said. He added that government will provide them with opportunities of continuous medical education and training.
Dr Hamayun said that the electronic and print media could also play an important role in creating awareness, and that the Health Department was appointing trained lady health workers, visitors and community midwives in health centres, especially those in remote areas. He added that more than 65,000 lady health workers were already working in these areas.
Health Director General, Dr Aslam Chaudhry said the Health Department was appointing gynecologists in rural health centres and district and tehsil headquarters to provide better health. Other doctors including Tanvir Ahmad, Muhammad Baqir and Jamil Chaudhry also made speeches.
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