One-third posts for state's RCH programme vacant

PUNE: Only 766 of the 2799 posts required to be filled to run the state's Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) programme for municipal corporations in Maharashtra have been filled, says the report 'Health Status Maharashtra, 2010'.
Only one-third of the posts, which include 109 posts of lady medical officers and 475 posts of auxiliary nurse and midwife (ANM) have been filled until March 2010.
V Rokde, assistant director of health, family welfare, told TOI that although the department has been able to fill the posts for medical officers and supervisory staff up to 40 and 50 per cent respectively, a shortfall is observed while filling the posts of ANMs and link workers.
The RCH programme, started under the National Rural Health Mission, aims at providing safe motherhood services, child survival services, adolescent health, family planning andimplementation of the Preconception and Prenatal Diagnostic Techniques (PNDT) Act.
"There is a shortfall of more than 50 per cent in ANMs and about 70-80 per cent in link workers. The main reason behind this is that the salary slabs for ANMs in rural and urban areas are the same. Since the cost of living is higher in urban areas, there is less willingness amongst ANMs to work there. Link workers on the other hand have to be selected from the same locality where they have to work. Their qualification has to be SSC pass out, so there is some difficulty to fill these posts. The job of a link worker is that of a motivator and activist, who encourages mothers in the locality for immunisation and other health issues," Rokde said.
He explained that the RCH is a performance-based programme and its objective is to reduce infant mortality rate from the current 31 per cent to 27 per cent, maternal mortality rate from 130 deaths per 1 lakh births to less than 100 deaths, and to improve the total fertility rate.
The situation in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) in this regard is much better, as 90 per cent of the posts have been filled and all the RCH centres in the city are operational.
Of the 88 posts to be filled at the RCH centres in PMC limits, nearly 70 have been filled and the process of recruitment for the remaining posts is nearly complete.
Kalpana Baliwant, health officer incharge of the RCH programme in Pune, said that there are 11 RCH centres in different areas of the city, covering a population of 35,000 each.
"We have appointed one lady medical officer, four ANMs, one peon, one clerk etc at each centre. The centres are also equipped with computers and internet services," Baliwant said.