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PCMC starts country’s pilot health action plan
PCMC was picked for its population comprising different social-economic strata, including slums, IT sector and industrial area, said one of the officials who is part of the project
The National Health Systems Resource Centre (NHSRC), a premier think-tank for the ministry of health and family welfare (MoHFW), has chosen the Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation (PCMC) for its pilot city health action plan (CHAP) to be subsequently replicated across all civic bodies in the country.
NHSRC has decided to have a city health action plan in urban cities because of its huge population.
PCMC was picked for its population comprising different social-economic strata, including slums, IT sector and industrial area, said one of the officials who is part of the project.
The decision to launch the plan in PCMC was taken on October 16 after a series of meetings with NHSRC, UNICEF and civic officials last month.
Shekhar Singh, PCMC commissioner, said, “The civic body and UNICEF have prepared a ward health action plan (WHAP) divided into four categories —vulnerability assessment, community participation, strengthening of national health programme and interdepartmental coordination. The city health action plan will be prepared based on these findings and submitted to the government.”
Dr Abhaychandra Dadewar, additional health officer, PCMC, said, “A team of doctors, healthcare staff, and Asha workers amongst others have undergone training for WHAP. The study will be completed in the next six months.”
Dr Dadewar said that the vulnerability assessment of population will start in December and it will cover social, economic, occupational and educational aspects of people. The study will help to find which class of people is vulnerable to what kind of illnesses.
“In community participation, people living in slums, elite societies at the individual level, NGOs and organisations at the group level will be included to implement or start healthcare services and facilities,” he said.
Dr Laxman Gophane, PCMC health officer, said, “The community participation will help in strengthening the national health programme. The reason behind low coverage of a specific national programme in a specific area or community will be studied. The response from elite class is less as compared to people living in slums when it comes to health programme.”
He said a task force at ward level has been formed for interdepartmental coordination as electrical, drainage, building and other departments will be part fo the plan.
