Lok Sabha Question No. 3381 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2025-08-08
Subject: Strengthening of Health Infrastructure in Jalpaiguri
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: Dr. Jayanta Kumar Roy

## GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRY OFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 3381 TO BE ANSWERED ON 08.08.2025

## STRENGTHENING OF HEALTH INFRASTRUCTURE IN JALPAIGURI

## 3381. DR. JAYANTAKUMAR ROY:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Government has reviewed the health infrastructure in Jalpaiguri for referral transport, emergency obstetric care and neonatal units;
- (b) if so, the details thereof;
- (c) whether there are any proposals to upgrade existing Community Health Centres (CHCs) to model health centres in tea garden-dominated blocks of Jalpaiguri; and
- (d) if so, the details thereof?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE (SHRI PRATAPRAO JADHAV)

(a) to (d): The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare provides technical and financial support to the States/UTs including West Bengal to strengthen the public healthcare system including the health infrastructure for referral transport, emergency obstetric care and neonatal units, based on the proposals received in the form of Programme Implementation Plans (PIPs) under National Health Mission. Government of India provides approval for the proposal in the form of Record of Proceedings (RoPs) as per norms & available resources. Details of the approvals given for the strengthening healthcare to the State of West Bengal are available at website of Ministry of Health and Family Welfare at the Uniform Resources Locator (URL) as under:

https://nhm.gov.in/index4.php?lang=1&level=0&linkid=62&lid=75

Details of funds approved during the current FY 2025-26 & for the last three FYs i.e 2024-25; 2023-24; 2022-23 for development of building infrastructure under NHM to the State of West Bengal are as under:

(Amount in Lakhs)

| State/ UT   | 2022-23   | 2023-24   | 2024-25   |   2025-26 |
|-------------|-----------|-----------|-----------|-----------|
| West Bengal | 8,924.88  | 10,840.43 | 8,735.08  |   20223.8 |

Under National Health Mission (NHM) the Government of India implements various initiatives to provide maternal and child health services including referral transport, emergency obstetric care and neonatal units in all the States/UTs including in Jalpaiguri districts of West Bengal as under:

-  NHM is supporting states for Advance Life Support (ALS), Basic Life Support (BLS) ambulances for transportation of pregnant women and sick infants under Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK). As per the norms. ALS is being supported for 5 lakh population and BLS for 1 lakh population.
-  Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a demand promotion and conditional cash transfer scheme for promoting institutional delivery.
-  Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) entitles all pregnant woman and sick infants (up to one year of age) delivering in public health institutions to have absolutely free and no expense delivery, including caesarean section. The entitlements include free drugs, consumables, free diet during stay, free diagnostics, free transportation and free blood transfusion, if required. Similar entitlements are also in place for sick infants up to one year of age.
-  Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) provides pregnant women a fixed day, free of cost, assured and quality antenatal check up by a Specialist/Medical Officer on the 9th day of every month. Extended PMSMA strategy ensures quality antenatal care (ANC) to pregnant women, especially to high-risk pregnant (HRP) women and individual HRP tracking until a safe delivery is achieved by means of financial incentivization for the

identified high-risk pregnant women and accompanying ASHA for extra 3 visits over and above the PMSMA visit.

-  LaQshya improves the quality of care in labour room and maternity operation theatres to ensure that pregnant women receive respectful and quality care during delivery and immediate post-partum.
-  Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) provides assured, dignified, respectful and quality healthcare at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services for every pregnant woman and new-born visiting public health facilities to end all preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
-  Optimizing Postnatal Care aims to strengthen the quality of post-natal care by laying emphasis on detection of danger signs in mothers and incentivization of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) for prompt detection, referral & treatment of such high-risk postpartum mothers.
-  Supporting Functionalization of First Referral Units (FRUs) by ensuring manpower, blood storage units, referral linkages to improve the access to quality of care for pregnant women
-  Setting up of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Wings and Operationalization of Obstetric High Dependency Units & Intensive Care Units (Obst. HDU & ICU) at high caseload facilities to improve the quality of care provided to mothers and children.
-  Under Facility Based Newborn Care initiative two Special New-born Care Units (SNCUs) and seven Newborn Stabilization Units (NBSUs) are established at public health facilities of Jalpaiguri district for care of sick and small newborns.

The district Jalpaiguri of west Bengal has one functional Maternal and Child Health (MCH) wing and two functional First Referral Units (FRUs). The district Jalpaiguri also has two LaQshya certified Labour Rooms and Maternal Operation Theatres (MOTs) as on June 2025 to provide quality emergency obstetric care.

*****