ASHA workers have a key role in noticing symptoms of pneumonia among children in A.P., says Central official

Union Ministry of Health & Family Welfare Joint Secretary Dr. P. Ashok Babu has said Andhra Pradesh is at the forefront of providing child healthcare services with the support of ASHA workers.

Dr. Ashok Babu along with Health and Family Welfare, A.P. Commissioner J. Nivas took part in an awareness programme on pneumonia among children at GGH, Guntur on Saturday.

According to a release, speaking on the occasion, Dr. Ashok said the services of ASHA workers helped Andhra Pradesh provide the best paediatric healthcare. They should continue to work effectively and notice symptoms of pneumonia among children and ensure they were treated at the local or district hospitals, he said.

Mr. Nivas said that ASHA workers would play a key role in identifying pneumonia among infants in the first six months. He said ANMs and ASHA workers should visit mothers once a week and enquire about the health of their newborns. There were occasions when infants died due to breathing problems that went unnoticed recently, he said.

Dr. Ashok inspected various departments of the GGH later.