Kathmandu, Aug 23: Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Health and Population Upendra Yadav today said the government has accorded high priority to save lives of mothers and infants.
“All mechanisms under the health ministry prioritise improving the infant and maternal mortality rate. The government has ensured ‘Safe Motherhood Programme’ aiming to provide easy maternity access to pregnant women,” he said. He was addressing the 60th anniversary of Paropakar Maternity and Women’s Hospital.
The government has managed an air rescue for pregnant women of the places of the country lacking maternity service. So far a total of 32 pregnant women have been rescued through air.
Health institutions in rural areas would be equipped with human resources, medical equipment and physical infrastructures, he said pledging to provide additional assistances to the hospital. He informed that rules have been made to implement the Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Act.
On the occasion, the minister honoured Doctor Rakshya Parajuli, who top-scored in Gynecology in Masters Degree, and doctors and nurses working for the hospital.
Likewise, Director General of the Department of Health Services, Dr Sushilnath Pyakurel suggested that the hospital expands service to other areas instead of adding beds.
National Academy of Medical Science (NAMS) vice chancellor, Prof Dr DN Shah spoke the need for collaboration between the NAMS and the hospital in the days to come for further expansion of gynecology services and education.
The hospital that had begun its services as a 40-bed health facility in 2016 BS has now 489-beds. According to hospital executive director Prof Dr Jageshwor Gautam, 66 women deliver child in the hospital each day. Of those births, 21 are Cesarean (C-section). Lately, the number of C-section births is on the rise. According to hospital data, the hospital facilitated the 24,147 births last fiscal year.
The hospital in collaboration with the NAMS, has started the MD and MS classes in Obstetrics and Gynecology. The hospital has been operating the Paropakar Nursing College since two years. Last year, 1,266 received safe abortion services from the hospital.
