A society of healthy women lays the foundation of a healthy, dynamic and progressive nation. The constant development of the country can thus be achieved only if we take holistic care of our women and children. The rapid decline in maternal and infant mortality rates can be attributed to the efforts of our government since 2014, political commitment, well-designed policies and significant investment in the National Health Mission under the visionary leadership of our Hon’ble Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modiji. Ensuring quality maternal health is one of the top priorities of our government. I echo the speech of Shri Modiji during the Partners’ Forum in 2018, “Health of mothers will determine the health of our children. The health of children will determine the health of our tomorrow.”
Along with various areas that have shown promise, notable achievements have been endorsed by the recently released findings from the first phase of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) completed in 22 States/UTs. Institutional deliveries have increased while antenatal and postnatal care has improved in the majority of States/UTs. It is indeed a matter of great pride that targeted and unwavering focus on maternal health has yielded these dividends.
From instilling a behavioural change for helping more women deliver in hospitals through Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), for entitlement of absolutely free services under the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK), we have come a long way now in providing quality care and respectful maternity care throughout pregnancy and childbirth. Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) launched in 2019 aims to build a proper maternal ecosystem to assure dignified and respectful delivery of quality healthcare services at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services to any woman and newborn visiting a public health facility in order to end all preventable maternal and newborn deaths and morbidities. This is weaved with many other initiatives, including the Labour Room Quality improvement initiative (LaQshya) launched in 2017.
The country has witnessed innovative ideas being translated into action in the field including those related to the health and wellbeing of pregnant women. In this regard, the enterprising Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), launched in 2016, guarantees a minimum package of antenatal care services to women in their second or third trimesters at designated government health facilities by a physician/specialist. Furthermore, under the admirable vision and able guidance of Hon’ble Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, Dr Mansukh Mandaviyaji, Maternal Perinatal Child Death and Surveillance Response (MPCDSR) software has been recently launched to streamline actionable data in order to eliminate preventable maternal mortality.
Lately, it became crucial for the country to establish “birth models” that promote cultural awareness in birth practices, respect woman’s autonomy, preferences and choices during childbirth, overall contributing to a positive birthing experience. Scaling new frontiers, the Government took a policy decision to roll out Midwifery Services with the help of a dedicated cadre of Nurse Practitioner in Midwifery (NPM) in order to provide a positive birthing experience.
Furthermore, particular attention to family planning and access to comprehensive abortion care and anaemia screening testing under the Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy is warranted.The government undertook monumental steps towards providing accessible and affordable healthcare by setting up Ayushman Bharat-Health and Wellness Centres (AB-HWCs), to deliver a comprehensive range of services, including care in pregnancy and childbirth, and Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY) to reduce out-of-pocket expenditures in healthcare. As the country is deeply engaged in mitigating the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, it has also been able to re-imagine health service delivery through teleconsultation to ensure uninterrupted access to essential healthcare to all.
For a good measure, Union Health Ministry’s National Telemedicine Service —eSanjeevani—launched in 2020 has rapidly shaped into the country’s most popular and the largest telemedicine service. In these challenging times, it is important to be resilient, regain and continue to accelerate the progress we have made. I would like to appeal to the health workers and community at large to support all pregnant women to become an advocate for their own health care to make informed and reasoned decisions. As we march towards the achievements of the targets set out under the National Health Policy 2017 and Sustainable Development Goals, we are committed to aim higher and envisage a new India which is fully responsive and accountable to the needs of its women and children.
Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar
Union Minister of State for Health & Family Welfare
(December 12 is International Universal Health Coverage Day)
Twitter: @DrBharatippawar