*Haryana Strengthens First Referral Units to Ensure Timely Maternal and Child Healthcare*

 Chandigarh, October 5- Mission Director, National Health Mission (NHM), Haryana, Dr R.S. Dhillon, said that the State Government is fully committed to strengthening maternal and child health services. At present, Haryana has 101 First Referral Units (FRUs) against the Government of India’s benchmark of 69.

He said that most of these FRUs are providing improved services on a 24x7 basis, including round-the-clock delivery and Caesarean section (C-section) facilities. However, services at 11 FRUs were not performing at the desired level due to a shortage of specialist doctors. To address the issue promptly, NHM Headquarters has been conducting walk-in virtual interviews every Wednesday for recruitment of doctors without any administrative delay. Under this process, 84 specialists have been provisionally finalised, while 24x7 blood testing facilities have also been made operational.

Dr Dhillon said that to ensure better medical intervention and safe deliveries at FRUs performing below the optimal level, the Health Department has decided to deploy a special district-level ‘Triad’ of specialists comprising a gynaecologist, paediatrician and anaesthetist.

Under this arrangement, doctors will be deputed every Wednesday and Saturday to centres where the complete specialist triad is not available. The centres covered under the initiative are CHC Chaurmastpur in Ambala; SDH Loharu in Bhiwani; CHC Bhattu Kalan and CHC Bhuna in Fatehabad; SDH Pataudi in Gurugram; SDH Matanhail and CHC Chharu in Jhajjar; CHC Alewa in Jind; CHC Pinangwan in Nuh; and CHC Bawal and CHC Nahar in Rewari.

Mission Director, NHM Haryana, Dr R.S. Dhillon, further said that to address the shortage of specialists, institutional arrangements have been finalised for deploying doctors on a roster basis every Wednesday and Saturday at these 11 centres from district civil hospitals or other fully functional FRUs.

During their deputation, these specialist doctors will conduct dedicated OPD clinics, screen high-risk pregnancies (HRPs), schedule planned Caesarean sections and manage emergency obstetric cases.

Dr R.S. Dhillon expressed confidence that the initiative would make all FRUs fully functional, enhance public confidence in local health services and reduce the need for pregnant women to travel long distances during emergencies, thereby ensuring timely life-saving care closer to their homes.