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Assam government plans to draft a "comprehensive" health policy soon with special focus on poor and weaker sections of society.
"A comprehensive health policy is on the anvil encompassing all health related aspects. A holistic approach will be adopted for making the state a healthy one," said Tarun Gogoi, chief minister of Assam.
Gogoi said his government had all along laid emphasis on the health sector and initiated a slew of schemes to improve the health scenario in the past 14 years. Gogoi said that the government's focus had been on the poor and weaker segments of the society. "The affluent can avail the best of medical care and treatment. Our aim is to reach out to the poor and weaker sections of society," he said.
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Gogoi said the Assam government had accorded priorities to pure drinking water and sanitation to keep diseases at bay. "We can keep many diseases at bay through cleanliness and hygiene. Our focus is on providing pure drinking water and sanitation facilities. Ensuring a healthy body can only lead to economic prosperity and we have initiated a host of schemes towards this end," he added.
The chief minister said the government's focus is on reducing Infant Mortality Rate (IMR)and Maternal Mortality Rates (MMR)and to bring it at par with the national average. "There has been a reduction in IMR and MMR, but we have still miles to go on this front," he added.
The state government's focus, Gogoi said, is now on reducing the infant mortality rates and maternal mortality rates and bringing it at par with the national average.
