The Hindu 13.04.2013
Health awards for local bodies
First Arogyakeralam awards
The government has declared the first Arogyakeralam awards for local bodies for excellence in conceptualising and implementing innovative health projects at the community level and for making the best use of the Plan funds allotted for health projects as envisaged under the Comprehensive Health Plan.
Kollam, Thiruvananthapuram, and Ernakulam won the first, second, and third places respectively in the category of best district panchayats. In the block panchayat segment, Veliayanad block of Alappuzha won the first place, Kaduthuruthi block in Kottayam came second, and Sultan Bathery in Wayanad took the third spot.
Among grama panchayats, Kattoor grama panchayat in Thrissur emerged first, Maneed in Ernakulam won the second position, and Poyya grama panchayat in Thrissur came third.
In the category of municipalities, Neyyattinkara secured the first prize, Nedumangad came second, and Ernakulam municipality won the third position.
Kochi was adjudged the best in the category of Corporations. Thrissur came second. Apart from these, the best grama panchayat in each district will get a cash award of Rs.5 lakh. The panchayat in the next position will get Rs.3 lakh.
Health Minister V.S. Sivakumar who announced the awards said that Arogyakeralam award was being given as an incentive in appreciation for the efforts put in by the local bodies in taking government’s health care projects to the grassroots.
The Comprehensive Health Plan is a novel initiative of the Health Department, envisaged with the aim of decentralising the health sector in such a way that every local body would identify their health priorities at the grassroots level and come up with innovative ways to tackle the issues locally itself, with people’s participation.
Criteria
The criteria for the awards included effective utilisation of the Plan funds for health; the number of health projects; the benefits, efficiency and novelty of the projects; level of community involvement in projects; completion of projects before March 31 deadline; the rate of prevalence of infectious diseases; and the percentage of children who were fully immunised.
A specially designed software was used for data analysis and for the first stage of selection, following which a committee headed by the Director of Health Services scrutinised the reports of each local body to select the best.
Cash awards
The best district panchayats, block panchayats and grama panchayats will receive a cash award of Rs.10 lakh for the first position, Rs.5 lakh for the second and Rs.3 lakh for the third position.
The Corporation which came first will receive Rs.10 lakh and the one which came second, Rs.5 lakh.
Arogyakeralam awards will be distributed by Chief Minister Oommen Chandy at a function to be held here on April 16, Tuesday.
