While most of the states recorded significant development, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar failed to supply even medical kits to the health workers. "Chhattisgarh, Orissa, Assam Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh have all completed their fourth module of 15 to 19 days of training for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA).Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Mizoram lag behind with only seven days training. Drug kits for ASHAs have been procured and distributed in all states except in UP and Bihar," the independent review chaired by Union Health Minister Anbumani Ramadoss said.

The Minister announced that the meeting decided to give ASHAs a remuneration of Rs 500 each per month initially. ASHAs numbering around 6,40,000 across the country were till now only getting incentive-based emoluments.

The review is based on the assessment of 13 states by six-member teams over the last two months. Public health experts, NGOs, development partners and senior public servants were part of these independent teams that spent ten days in two districts of the short-listed states. Assam and Mizoram in North-east, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Orissa, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan from among the high-focus states and four states, namely, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala and Tamil Nadu among the non-high focus states were covered in the current Common Review Mission. "Outpatient cases, institutional deliveries, impatient cases, diagnostic services, emergency transport services have all registered an improvement in a majority of the states," said Review results.

Source: The Pioneer UP and Bihar rank low in health administration