DEHRADUN: To minimize casualties due to delay in reaching hospitals, Uttarakhand state government has proposed mother waiting centres for pregnant women in hill districts of Uttarakhand.
Amita Upreti, director-general of the health department, Uttarakhand said, "The initiative is aimed at providing much-needed care to pregnant women of remote areas where accessibility is the main problem. The proposal is being drafted and soon it will be a reality."
These centers will provide facilities to pregnant women prior to their delivery.
The aim behind the proposal is to minimize problems faced by women in remote hilly areas who are unable to reach the hospital in time for medical assistance.
The centres will be within 500 meters to one kilometre of range so that medical help can be provided on time.
Casualties have been reported in hilly areas of Uttarakhand due to delay in reaching the hospital owing to difficult terrain and unavailability of medical facilities nearby.
According to a report released by central government last month, Uttarakhand fared well in terms of maternity mortality report.
In the report, the hill state is said to be recording 89 deaths per lakh deliveries between 2015 and 2017 as against the national average of 122.
Last year, taking serious note of rampant child marriages in the state which resulted in early pregnancy risking females lives, Uttarakhand HC directed the state government to enforce the provisions of Prevention of Child Marriage Act, 2006.
The court had also directed the state government to appoint 'Child Marriage Prohibition Officers' in each district of Uttarakhand state and give 'due publicity' to the Act.