The Hindu : Plan for safe motherhood

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Apr 11, 2003

National

National

Plan for safe motherhood

By Gargi Parsai

New Delhi April 10. The Centre will launch tomorrow a Janani Suraksha Yojna (safe motherhood plan) on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi.

The thrust is on institutionalised child delivery for the safety of the mother, particularly in rural areas. For this, the Government proposes to allow Government health centres to avail themselves of services of private qualified gynaecologists and anaestheists. Eventually, the aim is to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates.

"Whether a woman comes to a primary health centre, a community health centre, a district hospital or a State Hospital, the idea is to bring her under trained, supervised care,'' according to senior officials in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The scheme is to be launched by the Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Sushma Swaraj.

Maternal mortality in India today is 407 per one-lakh live births against 100 for one lakh in, say, Sri Lanka. Maternal mortality is high because of deliveries at home in rural areas by untrained hands in unsafe conditions. The States might be allowed to follow the Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu modals where some health centres have been identified for providing round-the-clock services and emergency services.

The proposal is to train `dais' and give them a remuneration for conducting safe deliveries at the Primary/Community Health Centres.

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