TIRUCHY: As part of efforts to ensure the well-being of high-risk pregnant women in the district this Deepavali, health workers, as they did during the Pooja holidays, have begun to reach out to each one of them to ascertain their whereabouts and enquire about their health.
According to officials, the district currently has 16,410 pregnant women under government follow-up, of whom 9,532 are placed under high-risk category due to underlying health conditions such as anaemia, hypertension, gestational diabetes or previous delivery complications.
Anticipating several of the high-risk pregnant women visiting their hometown during Deepavali, mentor staff in rural areas and sector nurses in urban areas have been asked to call each of them and ascertain their location and access to health facilities.
"We have instructed staff to check where these expectant mothers are staying and to guide them to the nearest Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care (CEmONC) if any problem arises," said a senior district health official.
"As some private clinics may not have doctors available during the holidays, we are advising them to rely on government facilities for emergency support," the official added.
Officials said the effort is crucial as urban residents often depend on small private clinics that may remain closed or short-staffed during the festival. "In rural areas, mothers usually visit Primary Health Centres (PHCs) directly, but in cities, many prefer private clinics, where delays can occur in detecting complications," the official said.
Further, medical officers have been told to maintain a line list of women nearing their expected delivery date and to follow up on them daily. "We have asked the mothers to contact us any time to guide them during emergencies and ensure safe deliveries during the festival," said a district-level maternity official.
Alongside the maternal health campaign, the district health department has placed all 84 PHCs, including the 18 urban PHCs, and around 15 mobile medical units on 24-hour emergency duty on Sunday and on Deepavali to handle any cracker-related injury cases. "The presence of a doctor is a must in all PHCs and they will be available 24 hours," said an official. In the event of major burn injuries, PHCs will provide first aid and arrange transfers through the ‘108’ ambulance service to higher centres. All PHCs and the eight government hospitals in Tiruchy have been equipped with an emergency burns ward with IV fluids, blood and dressing material, sources said.