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Through effective implementation of health related services, Gujarat is writing a new chapter in healthcare. Anju Sharma, Mission Director (NRHM), Gujarat, in this freewheeling interview with Dhirendra Pratap Singh, shares her perspectives on various healthcare issues in Gujarat What is your assessment of the health sector in Gujarat today? Gujarat has been an enthusiastic in bringing quality healthcare to its people. The state has programmes such as Chiranjeevi & Balsakha Yojana (PPP), 108 EmergencyTransport and e-Mamta Mother & Child tracking (IT application). We have district quality accreditation boards- Quality Assurance Group (QAG), Quality Improvement Programme (QIP), NABH. Gujarat is also the first state with accredited PHCs in tribal areas . The most talked about programme initiated by Gujarat in the year 2006 is the Chiranjeevi Yojna, a unique PPP initiative that serves BPL and tribal mothers. There is an evident reduction in number of maternal deaths. We have saved approximately 893 mothers. The Bal Sakha scheme has private pediatricians or trust hospitals providing free of cost expert care to newborns for up to one month. The emergency ambulance 108, initiated in the year 2007, answers 99 percent calls and so far has attended more than 15, 51,718 emergencies.
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How effective do you think the state government has been in improving healthcare? With the goal of improving the Human Development Index, the Government of Gujarat has celebrated the last year as its Golden year. The Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5 of reducing maternal and child mortality are the Swarnim Gujarat goals. There is massive effort being made to reduce infant mortality and immunize children against measles. The reduction in maternal mortality can be achieved through institutionalisation of deliveries. The focus of the Health and Family Welfare Department is to bring down the infant mortality and maternal mortality rates as envisioned by the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM). How do you propose to bring down the MMR, IMR and Total Fertility Rate (TFR) in Gujarat? What is the role of ICT in improving healthcare scenario in Gujarat? Innovation in healthcare delivery is important because there are challenges related to de-