Latest news with #AuxiliaryNurseMidwives
Hans India
5 days ago
- Health
- Hans India
Call for transparent ANMs re-counselling
Anantapur: District Collector Dr Vinod Kumar V has directed the DM&HO and other officials concerned to ensure complete transparency in the online re-counseling process of Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) being conducted at the District Medical and Health Office (DM&HO) in Anantapur. During his inspection of the counselling process, the Collector emphasised fair practices and instructed officials to monitor the proceedings diligently to avoid any discrepancies.
Hans India
04-07-2025
- Health
- Hans India
CM opens AP's 1st Digital Nerve Centre
Kuppam (Chittoor dist): Andhra Pradesh on Thursday took a significant leap in healthcare innovation with Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu inaugurating the state's first Digital Nerve Centre (DiNC) at the Kuppam Area Hospital. This initiative, a collaborative effort with Tata Trusts and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, aims at integrating all health services under a single digital platform, beginning in Kuppam and slated for statewide expansion. The DiNC is designed to seamlessly connect hospitals, primary health centres (PHCs), and village clinics, ensuring that a patient's complete medical history is accessible digitally from anywhere, at any time. This integration is expected to facilitate quicker diagnoses, enhance coordination among medical professionals, and streamline follow-up care. From lab results to prescriptions, all vital health information will be digitized, empowering doctors to make more informed and efficient decisions. "This is not just a model for Andhra Pradesh, but for the world," stated the Chief Minister after the inauguration. He emphasised that the project transcends mere digitalisation, focusing instead on leveraging technology to profoundly improve people's lives. Highlighting the state's annual healthcare expenditure of approximately Rs 19,000 crore, the CM underscored the potential of artificial intelligence and advanced data systems to reduce costs while simultaneously delivering superior healthcare services. Currently, the newly launched centre links 13 PHCs and 92 village health centres within the Kuppam region. This connectivity enables real-time health tracking and ensures rapid response during medical emergencies. During the launch, Chief Minister Naidu and Health Minister Satya Kumar Yadav also engaged with local health workers to assess the system's practical implementation and effectiveness on the ground. Looking ahead, the government plans to roll out the DiNC system across the remaining part of the Chittoor district in its next phase, followed by a full-scale implementation throughout Andhra Pradesh. The strategy also includes deploying mobile medical units for regular blood tests and more rigorous monitoring of maternal health, with a strong emphasis on preventive care. A significant strength of the DiNC system lies in its inclusivity, bringing frontline healthcare workers, including Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) and Anganwadi staff, into the digital loop. This ensures that even remote and rural communities benefit from enhanced health services. Special Chief Secretary MT Krishna Babu, Commissioner of Health and Family Welfare Veerapandian, Collector Sumit Kumar, DM&HO Dr DT Sudha Rani, and other senior officials also attended the programme.
The Hindu
25-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
New Health Sub Centres to come up in T.N. with no new staff posts, basic infrastructure
Tamil Nadu is set to see the creation of 642 new Health Sub Centres (HSC) in rural and urban areas. However, there is a catch. The new facilities have been approved, but without new staff posts and basic infrastructure support. Instead, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANM), who are working in Primary Health Centres (PHC), will be redeployed to the new HSCs. This decision has raised some serious questions on how the Health department has been handling acute shortages of manpower, including some 3,000-odd vacancies of Village Health Nurses (VHN)/ANMs for the past four years, while adding on new health infrastructure. The State currently has 8,713 HSCs, with the norms prescribing one HSC for every 5,000-6,000 population. Establishing 642 urban and rural HSCs on the basis of population was one of the announcements made by the Health Minister in the Assembly earlier this year. In line with this, a Government Order issued on June 13 stated that the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine submitted a proposal and the list of 642 HSCs were identified for new creation on rationalisation as per population norms in rural and urban areas 'with no additional fund'. Each HSC has one post of VHN. Based on the proposal, the State government, while giving administrative nod for establishing the HSCs (617 in rural and 25 in urban), stated that creation of new posts will not be sanctioned and ANMs have to be redeployed to the HSCs as the posts of VHNs and ANMs carries identical scale of pay and are interchangeable. The available rent-free building or any government building should be utilised for the HSCs, and for the most basic infrastructure, such as fan and furniture, the existing infrastructure available in the PHC under which the HSC is located should be utilised. But this was not all. Electricity charges for the newly-created HSCs should be managed from the funds allocated towards electricity charges for the respective PHCs. As per official data, 2,013 posts of VHNs (of the 8,713 sanctioned) and 1,251 posts of ANMs (of the 2,057 sanctioned) are lying vacant, a source in the Health department pointed out. 'This shortage remains unresolved for the last four years citing court cases. For a government that has strong legal teams, it is unacceptable that legal issues relating to health manpower are not being resolved,' he said. Redeploying ANMs from PHCs to the new HSCs will give rise to additional vacancies in PHCs. 'As of now, 806 ANMs are in place. If nearly 600 of them are shifted, then additional vacancies will rise in PHCs. Not to forget that there is a huge vacancy of staff nurses in PHCs,' he added. 'Every time we ask, the court cases are cited for delay in filling up the VHN vacancies. As a result, maternal and child health services are getting affected. When the government has been successful in many cases, they should sort out this at the earliest. Instead of redeploying ANMs, the department should create new posts and fill up the vacant posts of VHNs at the earliest,' K.S. Manimegalai, State president, Tamil Nadu Government Health Women Union, said. A health official said they would fill up the vacancies immediately after the case was vacated in the Supreme Court. 'We have already filed the counter to vacate the stay and are waiting for the judgement,' he said, adding that ANM redeployment would be done as per procedure and need.
The Hindu
24-06-2025
- Health
- The Hindu
New Health Sub Centres to come up with no new staff posts, basic infrastructure
Tamil Nadu is set to see the creation of 642 new Health Sub Centres (HSC) in rural and urban areas. However, there is a catch. The new facilities have been approved, but without new staff posts and basic infrastructure support. Instead, Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANM), who are working in Primary Health Centres (PHC), will be redeployed to the new HSCs. This decision has raised some serious questions on how the Health department has been handling acute shortages of manpower, including some 3,000-odd vacancies of Village Health Nurses (VHN)/ANMs for the past four years, while adding on new health infrastructure. The State currently has 8,713 HSCs, with the norms prescribing one HSC for every 5,000-6,000 population. Establishing 642 urban and rural HSCs on the basis of population was one of the announcements made by the Health Minister in the Assembly earlier this year. In line with this, a Government Order issued on June 13 stated that the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine submitted a proposal and the list of 642 HSCs were identified for new creation on rationalisation as per population norms in rural and urban areas 'with no additional fund'. Each HSC has one post of VHN. Based on the proposal, the State government, while giving administrative nod for establishing the HSCs (617 in rural and 25 in urban), stated that creation of new posts will not be sanctioned and ANMs have to be redeployed to the HSCs as the posts of VHNs and ANMs carries identical scale of pay and are interchangeable. The available rent-free building or any government building should be utilised for the HSCs, and for the most basic infrastructure, such as fan and furniture, the existing infrastructure available in the PHC under which the HSC is located should be utilised. But this was not all. Electricity charges for the newly-created HSCs should be managed from the funds allocated towards electricity charges for the respective PHCs. As per official data, 2,013 posts of VHNs (of the 8,713 sanctioned) and 1,251 posts of ANMs (of the 2,057 sanctioned) are lying vacant, a source in the Health department pointed out. 'This shortage remains unresolved for the last four years citing court cases. For a government that has strong legal teams, it is unacceptable that legal issues relating to health manpower are not being resolved,' he said. Redeploying ANMs from PHCs to the new HSCs will give rise to additional vacancies in PHCs. 'As of now, 806 ANMs are in place. If nearly 600 of them are shifted, then additional vacancies will rise in PHCs. Not to forget that there is a huge vacancy of staff nurses in PHCs,' he added. 'Every time we ask, the court cases are cited for delay in filling up the VHN vacancies. As a result, maternal and child health services are getting affected. When the government has been successful in many cases, they should sort out this at the earliest. Instead of redeploying ANMs, the department should create new posts and fill up the vacant posts of VHNs at the earliest,' K.S. Manimegalai, State president, Tamil Nadu Government Health Women Union, said. A health official said they would fill up the vacancies immediately after the case was vacated in the Supreme Court. 'We have already filed the counter to vacate the stay and are waiting for the judgement,' he said, adding that ANM redeployment would be done as per procedure and need.
Time of India
17-06-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Meghalaya CM vows to transform state's healthcare, promises world-class services at first-ever health summit
Shillong: Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma on Monday announced that the state government had taken on the challenge of completely transforming the health sector, aiming to provide world-class medical services within the state itself. He made the declaration while addressing the first-ever Health Summit held in Shillong. The Chief Minister said the health sector in the state had remained neglected for various reasons, but the current government had committed itself to making reforms across the system. "Our objective is that anybody who requires medical attention should not have to go outside the state. The health sector will be transformed in such a manner that citizens of the state, the region, and neighbouring countries will look to Meghalaya for their treatment. It is a big target, but we have set our goals and prepared ourselves for the task. It is a long journey--let us set our targets clearly, let us invest, and create an ecosystem. Health is not just the state government's responsibility; other stakeholders also play an important role," Sangma said. The summit was attended by State Health Minister Ampareen Lyngdoh, senior officials, and representatives from various hospitals across the state. The Chief Minister emphasised the government's strong commitment to improving healthcare delivery, saying, "Health is one of the most critical pillars of governance, and for us in Meghalaya, it has remained at the top of our agenda." He highlighted that the summit was focused not just on investments but also on real outcomes. "This summit is not just about numbers but about outcomes--how investments translate into real improvements in the lives of our people," he said. He revealed that Meghalaya currently spends over 8% of its total state budget on healthcare, the highest allocation among Indian states. According to him, this was not just a statistic but proof of the state's priorities. Over the past seven years, the state had launched multiple initiatives to upgrade infrastructure, human resources, technology, and access to care. Sangma informed that when the present government took office in 2018, the state had a backlog of over 500 unfilled doctor posts. Due to prolonged recruitment delays, the government set up the Meghalaya Medical Services Recruitment Board (MMSRB) and filled over 500 posts within three months. During the summit, the Chief Minister and the Health Minister handed over appointment letters to 164 staff nurses, 78 Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), and 181 AYUSH professionals under the National AYUSH Mission. Sangma acknowledged that Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs) and Civil Hospitals had previously been in poor condition, but the government had since made significant investments to rebuild and upgrade them. He also said the state had adopted digital transformation to improve delivery. "Digital transformation has been a key enabler. Benefits for ASHAs, previously delayed due to paperwork, are now processed and disbursed within a week through a digitized platform," he explained. The government had also streamlined real-time drug supply chains, enabling health centres to raise indents online and ensure continuous supply of essential medicines. "The entire system has been digitized. Today, we know exactly where delays happen and we can resolve issues swiftly," the Chief Minister added. Health Minister Dr. Ampareen Lyngdoh also addressed the gathering, stating, "This Health Summit marks a paradigm shift in how we approach healthcare--not just as a public service, but as a shared responsibility involving government, civil society, and the private sector." A roundtable discussion was held during the day, focusing on emerging technologies, tackling non-communicable diseases like cancer and diabetes, and bridging the urban-rural healthcare gap. A special focus was placed on data-driven public health planning and collaboration between public and not-for-profit healthcare institutions. The summit marked the beginning of what the state government described as a long-term vision to make Meghalaya a healthcare hub in the Northeast.
