Despite the gradual improvement in health status over many years, preventable mortality and morbidity in Orissa are high. The Government of Orissa has launched RCH-II programme in the State since April 2005 with goals of reducing IMR from 87 per 1,000 live births to 50 per 1000, MMR from 367/100000 to 250/100000, Total Fertility Rate from 2.46 to 2.2 and couple protection rate from 46.8% to 65% by 2010.

The challenges of poverty, backwardness coupled with inadequate infrastructure have to be tackled in the State so as to improve delivery of health care. The programme includes prevention, care and support, research on cost effective prevention strategies, training of medical professionals and community key stakeholders.

In terms of thematic focus the major thrust of the programme is on IMR and MMR and that forms the preamble for the future. Component for child health has been designed as per the IMNCI protocol. Special emphasis has been made to initiate community level involvement on basic and comprehensive emergency obstetric care as regards maternal and child health. A separate component has been designed for Adolescent Reproductive Health to be implemented as a mainstream strategic component of RCH Programme. Efforts have been made to focus on providing health services to tribal communities (62 tribes, including 13 primitive tribes) with a population of 8.15 million constituting 22.3% of the State’s population.

The goal of the Department of Health & Family Welfare, Government of Orissa is to facilitate the incremental improvement in the health status of people of Orissa with their participation, and to make available health care in a socially equitable, accessible and affordable manner within a reasonable timeframe, creating partnerships between public, voluntary and private health sector and across other developmental sectors.