The plan that is in its nascent stages, entails forming a committee of research scientists, medical professors and doctors who will study international health standards. The BMC will outsource the task of chalking out the details for the plans to the Mumbai Transformation Support Unit (MTSU).
“We were in the process of setting up this team of researchers last year. However, our doctors will not have adequate time for field search and community services, hence now we are outsourcing this team,” said Gajbhiye. Director of MTSU, UPS Madan said, “We are going to help the civic body in providing them with a feasible health infrastructure so that people can have easy access to health facilities.”
Keeping in mind the problems of humidity, smoke, green space crunch and rising population, the committee’s task will be to ensure a disease-free city. “The committee will constantly engage in field surveys, community service and research and will aim at bringing down lifestyle diseases, psychological disorders as well Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR),” said Gajhbhiye. The civic body is hoping to replicate the health model of Norway and Sweden for this purpose. “The idea is to keep the local needs of an area in mind before carrying out any work. For instance, there is no point in setting up civic maternity homes in an upscale region like Colaba. Similarly, if we hear that eastern suburbs need more hospitals then we will do the needful,” added Gajbhiye.
However, there are some officials who doubt the feasibility of this plan. A senior health official said, “How can you have a fixed plan for two decades? Health needs are never static. Developments take place on a regular basis. The need of the hour is to have a health plan for two to five years. Hence this plan seems to far-fetched.”
Salient Features
* Pooling of civic and private ambulances
* Looking at escalation in health-related problems due to growing population of the city especially in slums and problems faced by the senior citizens
* Studying best practices in the public health sector and incorporating them after gauging their sustainability
* Special attention to be paid to modern diseases that are on the rise in the city, especially lifestyle diseases like diabetes, obesity as well problems connected to pollution and environmental condition of the city
* Incorporation of the national health programme, which will include strategy for fighting leprosy, blindness, tuberculosis with extra emphasis on women, child welfare and family planning.
* Basic education to be imparted to the citizens about contagious and fast spreading diseases like AIDS, malaria, polio among others
URL: http://www.expressindia.com/latest-news/civic-body-proposes-a-plan-to-improve-citys-health/408478/