139 Women Gave Birth, 319 Got Crucial Care Since Start Of Manipur Crisis: Centre

As many as 319 pregnant women, including 19 in the high-risk category, have received crucial antenatal care in strife-torn Manipur, while 139 pregnant women have given birth to babies since the onset of the current crisis in the state till July 24, the government informed Parliament on Friday.

In a written reply to a question in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Health Bharati Pravin Pawar said medical teams have been formed in each of the affected districts in the northeastern state to provide overall healthcare services to the victims at the designated relief camps.

The Union health ministry deputed six teams comprising four doctors each in the state in May and another team of four doctors in July, Mr Pawar said.

Regular health check-ups are conducted at all the designated relief camps across the state and those who are seriously ill are promptly transferred to the nearest hospitals by ambulance services, she added.

Healthcare services for women and children, including lactating mothers and feeding infants, are provided under the maternal health and child health programmes. Altogether, 319 pregnant women, including 19 in the high-risk category, have been provided regular ANC checkups at the camps, Mr Pawar said.

The mental healthcare of the victims is being ensured under the National Mental Health Programme, the minister said.

Violence broke out in Manipur after a "Tribal Solidarity March" was organised in the hill districts on May 3 to protest against the Meitei community's demand for Scheduled Tribe (ST) status. Hundreds of people have lost their lives and many have been injured in the violence.

The clashes were preceded by tension over the eviction of Kuki villagers from reserve forest land, which led to a series of smaller agitations.

Meiteis account for about 53 per cent of Manipur's population and live mostly in the Imphal valley. Tribals, including Nagas and Kukis, account for another 40 per cent of the population and reside in the hill districts.

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