NALGONDA: District collector RV Karnan, who recently assumed charge, learnt about the delay occurring at the Primary Healthcare Centres (PHCs) in preparing reports of tests done on pregnant women and the negative impact of it on these women, especially that of hunger, during his visit to various mandals.
The collector then asked the local anganwadis to provide lunch for the women who visit the PHCs from far-off villages. There are 33 PHCs and 2,093 Anganwadi centres in Nalgonda district. The district administration has recently begun providing lunch to pregnant and lactating women who visit the PHCs in Nalgonda district. Thousands of women are benefiting from this system. Pregnant and lactating mothers need not return home to distant villages hungry after visiting the PHCs for medical check-ups. The district administration is now providing lunch to the lactating mother or the pregnant woman and her children who accompany her to the PHC for medical tests.
There are as many as 9,664 pregnant, 8,813 lactating women, 26,328 children in the age group of three to six years, and 45,127 children in the age group of six months to three years. On average, five to six pregnant and lactating women arrive at each PHC every day for a health check. They undergo tests between 8 am and 9 am and they would have to wait till 2 pm to receive reports.
A woman going to the PHC is required to inform the nearest Anganwadi centre who will inform the mandal headquarters Anganwadi centre who will fix lunch for her at the PHC. The lunch comprises rice, dal, and boiled eggs.
V Suvarna, a pregnant woman from Lankalapalli village of Marriguda Mandal: “The staff of Anganwadi centre provided lunch for me and my four-year-old daughter. I had to stay till 3 PM to get reports of the tests done in the morning. When I came here last month, I had my lunch after returning home at about 3 PM. because I had no money to eat outside after receiving test reports.”
The women who go to the PHCs are happy that lunch is guaranteed to them at the PHCs and they do not have to go out and spend money in a restaurant. They are thankful to the district collector RV Karnan for this initiative. An official from the district ICDS told TNIE that 4,298 pregnant and lactating women who came to the Primary Health Centre from August 7 to August 30 were provided lunch under the Aarogya Lakshmi scheme.