In a major boost to healthcare facilities to the women from the Tharu tribe living on the Indo-Nepal, the Uttar Pradesh government’s ‘Operation Mamta’ has begun to show results. The campaign has led to the repair of six dilapidated auxiliary nurse midwife (ANM) sub-health centres in Tharu dominated villages in the Lakhimpur Khiri district.

According to a press statement issued by the state government, the sub centres have been converted into a full-fledged child birth centres and a total of 750 child births have taken place here from April, 2020, to March, 2021.

The villages where these health facilities are being provided are: Chandanchowki, Gaurifanta, Najhota, Chhedia West, Bankati and Dhuskia.

Lakhimpur Khiri’s Chief Development Officer (CDO) Arvind Singh was quoted as saying that 24-hour safe delivery facility is being provided even at the health centre in a Tharu village located inside 40 kilometres of forest area.

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“Operation Mamta was launched as a pilot project, in association with the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Manoj Agarwal, in February, 2020, to improve institutional delivery and post-delivery care for women of the Tharu tribe, which has a population of around 50,000 on Indo-Nepalese border,” Singh stated.

The administration has given priority to recruiting auxiliiary nurse midwives (ANMs) from the Tharu community at the six sub-health centres in order to ensure their availability 24×7.

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The health centres are claimed to have accommodation facility for ANMs. Besides, two other staff are deployed at the sub-health centres. Roads to and from these centres have also been renovated and a solar power plant of 1 killowatt (KW) has also been installed to ensure power supply at night.

The press statement also informs that a proposal has been prepared to launch 48 similar sub-health centres in remote countryside, including at Raninagar and Kiratpur soon.

“Efforts are on to provide better and timely health services to people living in far off and inaccessible areas,” it noted.