Health

BASIC DEMOGRAPHIC PROFILE

Kiphire has a total population of 74,004 out of which 14,711 comprise of children 0 to 6 years. The sex ratio of the district is 956. Out of a total of 11,845 eligible couples, only 35% of the expected pregnant women are receiving Ante-Natal Care. The average family size is large with 8 members and children between 0 – 5 years numbers 10,365.

INFRASTRUCTURE AND MANPOWER

There are four health blocks and 25 health units under Kiphire district out of which the District Hospital Kiphire and the Community Health Centre, Pungro are identified as the First Referral Units (FRU). The district is totally dependent on the Government sector for health services. However, the delivery of health services is besieged with a plethora of persistent gaps with poor infrastructural facilities and shortage of manpower being the main challenge in the district. The existing health units are not sufficient to cover all the far-flung villages. Health Personnel (doctors, nurses, health assistants) are inadequate and fall below Standard Health norms

It is of concern to note that the district do not have a single specialist in most of the major departments such as in medicine; Surgery; Radiology; ENT, Ophthalmology,  Orthopaedics, Paediatric to name a few. The nursing care is also highly hampered due to lack of sufficient qualified nurses. There is no proper pathological and diagnostic facility as well. Such Sub-optimal functioning of the infrastructure; poor referral services, insufficient manpower, lack of diagnostic and therapeutic services and shortage of drugs are some of the persistent health care problems faced by health units particularly at the primary health care level. Taking into consideration that there are no private health care services in the district, there is an ardent need to improve the delivery system of Health services in the district.

NATIONAL RURAL HEALTH MISSION (NRHM)

With the launching of NRHM in the district in 2006, efforts are being made to fill in the critical gaps through appointment of additional manpower such as doctors, nurses, paramedics as well as support in terms of up-gradation of health units through civil works and by providing equipments, funding for innovative outreach activities to create awareness and promote healthy behavioural changes. Various vertical programmes like Maternal and Child Health, Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), Integrated Disease Surveillance Project (IDSP),Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP), National Vector Borne Disease Programme (NVBDCP), Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health (ARSH), School Health Programme (SHP), National Leprosy Eradication Programme (NLEP), National Programme for Control of Blindness (NPCB) are being implemented in the district

REPRODUCTIVE AND CHILD HEALTH (RCH)

Reproductive health programmes focus on the needs of actual and potential clients, not only for limiting births but also for healthy sexuality and child bearing. The RCH program also focuses on the Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health (ARSH), and two ARSH Clinics i.e one in District hospital, Kiphire and the other in Community Health Centre, Pungro have been established. 

            The number of pregnant women receiving Ante-natal checkups is showing an increasing trend. Although the number of ANC within the first trimester has increased from 109 in 2009-10 to 400 in 2012-13, the number of women completing the required 3 ANC checkups has declined from 696 to 347 within the given period. Also the number of JSY payment is showing an increase from 106 to 463.

            The DHDR Sample Survey 2013 data show that availability of reproductive health services such as ante-natal Check-up, JSY benefits and Family Planning are poor. Although there is an indication of high accessibility of delivery services, many do not have access to benefits such as the JananiSurakshaYojana (JSY) and family planning. The Data at hand is not sufficient to arrive at any conclusion to explain such disparity. Since JSY is an incentive given to encourage institutional delivery; the low percentage of access to JSY as projected in the DHDR sample survey may also be indicative that institutional delivery among the rural women is quite low.

            It is also important to note that communications about the importance of family planning; available methods and how to access the services also need to be strengthened.

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