B’la admin launches mega campaign to improve health, nutrition indicators

Baramulla, June 06: District Administration Baramulla, under the Government of India’s Aspirational Districts Program (ADP) on Tuesday started a significant Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Day (VHSND) campaign in collaboration with Piramal Foundation’s Aspirational Districts Collaborative (ADC), starting from the medical Block Sheeri.
The inauguration ceremony was chaired by the District Development Commissioner of Baramulla Dr Syed Sehrish Asgar who was accompanied by the Joint Director of Planning, Chief Medical Officer, and other district administration officials.
In her address, Dr Asgar congratulated the field functionaries and frontline workers of the health department and ICDS for their “commendable efforts”. She acknowledged the district’s recent recognition with the Prime Minister’s Award under the Aspirational Districts program and urged everyone to maintain the momentum of their work to improve development indicators.
The DC Baramulla emphasized the significance of VHSNDs in this regard and announced the collaboration with Piramal Foundation to enhance primary healthcare services at these sites. VHSNDs, held weekly at Anganwadi centers, primarily cater to the health, sanitation, and nutrition needs of pregnant women and infants.
Krishna Mohan, the District Lead of the Piramal Foundation, highlighted the importance of VHSNDs in improving 20 out of 31 health and nutrition indicators under the ADP. He stressed the need to strengthen these sites to enhance services at the grassroots level.
Talking to Rising Kashmir, Dr Humera Noor, Head of the Department of Gynaecology at GMC Baramulla, emphasized the importance of tracking non-communicable diseases at VHSNDs.
She explained that by strengthening primary healthcare sites like VHSNDs and Primary Health Centers (PHCs), the burden on district hospitals and tertiary centers can be reduced, allowing them to focus more on critical care patients.
The District Development Commissioner, elaborating further, expressed that the Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight 2023 aims to achieve zero child deaths caused by childhood diarrhoea.
Dr Sehrish Asgar hailed the role played by ASHAs and AWWs in decreasing the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR). She affirmed the district administration’s commitment to improving healthcare services for the welfare of the general public and stressed the need for more awareness campaigns to reduce child mortality due to diarrhoea.
The Aspirational Districts Program, initiated by the Government of India, aims to accelerate the development of districts with low socio-economic indicators. It focuses on improving healthcare, education, agriculture, water resources, financial inclusion, and skill development in these districts.