Port Blair, Mar 13: Mr. B.P. Ray, Member of Parliament, Andaman and Nicobar Islands speaking on the floor of Lok Sabha during the zero hour discussions raised the matter of Setting up of Additional Sub-Health Centers for many Forest Encroachment Villages, Revenue Villages and Tribal Villages of Andaman and Nicobar Islands under the “Time to Care” scheme of NRHM.
Mr. Ray in his speech informed the house that “Govt. of India, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare decided to adopt a new norm based on “Time to Care” for setting up Sub-Health Centers in selected Districts of hilly States and desert areas. According to the “Time to Care” scheme it is fixed that the Sub-Health Centre has to be within a fixed walking distance of 30 minutes from the habitation and thus another Sub-Centre can be considered if “Time to Care” Sub-Centre exceeds half an hour walking distance.”
Mr. Ray also informed the house that the scheme is implemented in the Districts of Assam, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Gujarat but the Remotest and most backward tribal areas and revenue Villages in the UT of A & N Islands have been left out. Mr. Ray also listed out names of some of the worst affected areas of these Islands Pailoon, Burmachar, Narayan Tikri, Bandnallah, Gopalnagar etc. He added that from these areas the patients are taken to hospitals crossing the Sea in “Dingis” after walking in the dense tropical forests for two to three hours.
Mr. Ray along with four trained and un-employed nurses met the Minister of Health and Family Welfare and submitted a letter to him stating that there are more than five hundred trained nurses in Andaman and Nicobar Islands who are Un-employed and there are about 200 – 300 remote, isolated forest, Revenue and tribal villages, where there are no Sub-Centers.
Mr. Ray and the delegation of un-employed nurses requested the Minister of Health and Family Welfare to direct the A & N Administration to send necessary proposal with a list of villages/locations for setting up of New Sub-Health Centers based on ‘Time to Care’ Scheme with a post of Nurse in each Sub Health Center.
