While mental health and non-communicable diseases have been included as new programmes to be implemented under the National Rural Health Mission,the state government is also considering to start schools for nursing as part of the plan to upgrade facilities and provide staff at primary health centres. Dr D S Dakhure,state director of health services,said presently there are 980 nurses in the government hospitals and the requirement is of nearly 5000 nurses. Proposals have also been sent towards upgradation of 1808 primary health centres,456 rural hospitals and over 10,000 sub centres. The main of NRHM is to provide accessible affordable and accountable primary health care. It also aims at bridging the gap in rural health care through the creation of a cadre of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA). The NRHM includes existing programmes of health and family welfare including reproductive and child health (RCH),malaria,blindness,iodine deficiency,filarial,kala azar,TB,leprosy and integrated disease surveillance. Mental health and other non communicable diseases have also been included under the NRHM. Dr A S Ladda,additional director of health,said that there were 10-12 projects under NRHM which have been identified as "programme implementation plan." Each project officer is required to give a status report and requirements. For instance,under the Reproductive and child health (RCH) programme there are several goals like reducing infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate. Accordingly interventions have been made to ensure early neo natal care and a similar programme has been proposed in the tribal belt in nine districts. The government is also preparing a vision document "Mission 2020" and directed all the departments including health to submit their proposals towards infrastructure development.
