Kangra: A three day Health Mela was organised at Balakrupi village, 40 km from Palampur from 25-27th May, under the National Rural Health Mission to disseminate information on health & family welfare and population issues, but also in providing actual services to people who otherwise had limited access to health facilities. The Mela which was inaugurated by the IPH minister HP, Ravinder Ravi, concluded today.
Chief Medical Officer Kangra Dr Anil Mahajan told that the Health Mela attracted thousands of people desiring to avail quality health care services with Ultrasound, ECG, X ray and lab tests and medicines, along with information, free of cost thronged the camp. He added that for medicines which were not available in store, medicine was purchased and given to the patients.
5300 patients availed the free check-up by specialists and were also provided free medicines, 210 availed free ultrasound facility 193 availed X ray tests, 140 availed free ECG and 475 got free lab tests and over 75 under went HIV test free of cost. Disability medical board was also conducted during the camp for the benefit of rural people. Catract surgery screening was conducted during the camp and their surgey is being performed free of cost with IOL at Palampur Hospital.
The health care services involved national programmes for control of tuberculosis, malaria, blindness, leprosy, cancer, and HIV/AIDS, apart from services relating to maternal health, child health, immunisation and Family Planning. Jagjiwan Singh, GP Pradhan, Sh Brij Mohan Sharma and Pradhan Chand of Temple Committee, Principal NSS unit of GSS Balakrupi worked round the clock with the health department to make this a success.
The District of Kangra has a network of over 77 Primary Health Centres, 21 Community Health Centres 5 Civil hospitals & one Zonal Hospital and one medical College, but specialist services and diagnostic facilties like ultrasound were available only at Civil Hospital/Community Health Centres and higher levels. Equity is a concern area under NRHM as health indicators are relatively lower in rural areas than urban.
The norm for population for population covered by health facility is 3000 for hilly area for sub centre, but 193 sub centres of 438 in the District cover more than 3000 population. As per report of National Sample Survey Organisation (NSSO), 68% of the rural and people in the state prefer Government hospitals for medical care. With 95% of the population of the District living in rural areas, the Health Mela was a milestone in reaching out with better care to the rural people.
