PARVATHIPURAM-MANYAM : Pregnant Women Hostels (PWHs) run by the Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) have become a boon for tribal women in the Manyam district, providing them with safe delivery services.
The Parvathipuram and Seethampeta ITDA authorities operate three PWHs with 106 beds at the Youth Training Centre premises in Salur, Gummalaxmipuram, and Seethampeta mandal headquarters.
Since their inception, these hostels have facilitated at least 4,450 deliveries, including 3,704 normal deliveries.
The concept of PWHs was introduced by Parvathipuram ITDA Project Officer Laxmi Sha in 2018 to increase hospital deliveries in tribal areas and reduce mother and infant mortality rates.
The hostels provide pregnant women with food, accommodation, medication, and medical care, shifting them from hilly areas and remote agency hamlets two months before their delivery date.
The hostels also offer nutritional food, exercise, yoga, meditation, entertainment, and round-the-clock intensive care to ensure safe delivery.
These hostels have yielded good results, providing medical services to tribal women and reducing the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR). Thousands of pregnant women in Parvathipuram ITDA limits have utilized the PWH services.
‘Number of normal deliveries in PWHs quite high’
After witnessing the success, Seethampeta ITDA officials set up a 16-bedded PWH in Seethampeta mandal headquarters.
The PWHs have become a lifeline for tribal women, providing them with a safe and supportive environment for delivery. Pregnant women from remote villages are shifted to the hostels at least two weeks prior to their delivery date, ensuring they receive nutritious food and medical care.
The statistics are impressive, with at least 2,284 deliveries, including 1,986 normal deliveries, recorded in the 50-bedded PWH in Gummalaxmipuram. Similarly, at least 1,902 deliveries, including 1,578 normal deliveries, were performed in the PWH at Salur, and 252 deliveries, including 140 normal deliveries, were performed at the Seethampeta PWH.
Speaking to TNIE, pregnant woman Biddika Jyothi of Gummalaxmipuram mandal said, “I have admitted myself to the PWH for a safe delivery as there’s a chance of facing difficulties reaching the hospital due to the lack of road connectivity to our village.
We’ve been getting nutritious food and round-the-clock medical assistance in our PWH. We also practice yoga, meditation, and other physical exercises for both mental and physical health. We’ve also learned embroidery over the past few days, which is so useful for us to earn money after my delivery. I thank the ITDA officials for setting up the PWH for poor women like us.”
Speaking to TNIE, ITDA APO Muralidhar said, “The district administration has set up pregnant women’s hostels in Salur, Gummalaxmipuram, and Seethampeta mandal headquarters.
Pregnant women from hilltop and remote villages are admitted to the PWHs before their delivery date. We provide nutritious food, round-the-clock intensive care, yoga, meditation, and physical exercise classes. As a result, the majority of women in our PWHs are having normal deliveries. I believe these PWHs have become a boon for tribal women, ensuring their safe delivery.”