Bhopal, Sep 24 — The Madhya Pradesh government has substantially expanded healthcare capacity in tribal-dominated Balaghat district, tripling paediatric beds and more than doubling PICU capacity as authorities step up measures to control malaria, measles-rubella and diarrhoea.
The district hospital’s paediatric beds have been increased from 50 to 150. In contrast, the number of paediatric intensive care unit (PICU) beds has gone up from 10 to 21, Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla said while reviewing the health situation through video conferencing on Thursday.
The expansion comes alongside intensified disease surveillance and outreach measures in remote areas, where difficult terrain and scattered settlements make access to healthcare challenging.
“ANC check-up coverage reaching 90 per cent is important progress. A special campaign should be conducted to take it to 100 per cent,” Shukla said, directing officials to ensure timely identification, follow-up and referral of women with high-risk pregnancies.
The government has deployed six mobile medical units in the Birsa and Baihar development blocks to provide outpatient services, fever screening, antenatal and postnatal care, screening for tuberculosis and non-communicable diseases, medicines and health awareness services. Fifteen teams are conducting door-to-door fever screening in malaria-endemic areas.
Since July 19, as many as 26,865 people have been tested and 980 malaria cases detected, including 895 cases of Plasmodium falciparum and 85 of Plasmodium vivax. For malaria control, one consultant, four malaria technical supervisors and 112 community health volunteers have been deployed. Insecticide spraying has covered 7,065 houses in 71 villages, while thermal fogging has covered 8,610 houses in 44 villages.
Measures have also been intensified against measles and rubella. Around 27,000 children have been vaccinated through catch-up activities, while nearly 15,000 children aged one to 10 years have been covered under outbreak-response immunisation.
On diarrhoea control, ORS and zinc have been supplied to over 1.6 lakh families, while 734 severely ill children have been hospitalised and treated.
Shukla said Balaghat should be developed as a model district in healthcare delivery, particularly in remote and tribal areas.
“With seriousness, dedication and better coordination, all panchayats of Balaghat can be developed as Suman Panchayats,” he said.
Under the Rs 332-crore Balaghat Integrated Development Plan, 22 health centres are proposed to be repaired and equipped, while two primary health centres are being upgraded into 30-bed community health centres. Fifty-one new bond doctors have also joined the district.