Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh): Deputy Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, Rajendra Shukla, and State Health Minister, Narendra Shivaji Patel, visited the UNICEF Office in Bhopal and listened to a presentation from the UNICEF team on the theme of nutrition and health.
Rajendra Shukla, Deputy Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh, said that the state is committed to addressing the challenge and is making efforts to increase early registration of pregnancies and improve high-risk pregnancy management. “We will increase institutional deliveries and strengthen the engagement of PRI members to ensure that we address the challenge,” he said.
Narendra Shivaji Patel stated that the state will do everything necessary to address the issue of infant and maternal mortality in Madhya Pradesh.
Pushpa Awasthy, Nutrition Specialist at UNICEF Madhya Pradesh, gave a presentation on the nutrition of children under five years of age, along with suggestions to tackle the challenge. Dr. Prashanth Kumar, Health Specialist at UNICEF, gave a presentation on infant and maternal mortality and shared strategies to help reduce IMR and MMR in the state.
Anil Gulati, Chief of Field Office, UNICEF Madhya Pradesh, appreciated the state government’s commitment to women and children. He highlighted the Sanjivani Roadmap initiated to address infant and maternal mortality, and the provision of milk and sprouts for children and pregnant women in Madhya Pradesh. He also called for stronger engagement of communities and panchayats on health and nutrition issues concerning women and children.