HYDERABAD: The KCR Kits scheme of Telangana government have helped boost institutional deliveries at government hospitals in the State and bring down the number of deliveries in private hospitals, whose costs eat into people’s savings and force people into indebtedness.
Since the scheme was introduced in the year 2017, the percentage of institutional deliveries in government hospitals has gone up from being around 33 per cent to close to 50 per cent. According to government data, when the KCR Kits scheme started in the year 2017-18, out of 3.9 lakh deliveries in the State, about 2.22 lakh were conducted in government hospitals. In 2018-19, of the 4.78 lakh deliveries, around 2.71 lakh were conducted in government hospitals. In the current financial year, of the 1.01 lakh deliveries so far, 60,137 deliveries have been conducted in government hospitals.
As part of the scheme, aimed at increasing institutional deliveries in government hospitals while reducing infant mortality rate and female foeticide, pregnant women are given Rs 12,000 as financial aid. If the baby born is a girl, the mother receives Rs 1,000 more. Soon after the delivery, the KCR Kit that carries 16 items -- including clothes, baby soap, oil, powder, mosquito net, toys, napkins, diapers, etc., -- is given to the mother. Dr B Narahari, a senior pediatrician at the Niloufer Hospital, said: “There has been a rapid rise in the number of pregnant women coming to government hospitals for deliveries since the introduction of KCR Kits.”