VIZIANAGARAM: Taking note of deliveries occurring on way to hospitals besides a few fatal ones reported from Agency in the district, Parvatipuram Integrated Tribal Development Agency (ITDA) has set up pregnant women hostels (PWHs) in Saluru and Gumma Laxmipuram mandals.
It may be noted around eight maternal deaths occurred from April to July last year prior to the establishment of PWHs. Since they have been set up, only one maternal death has occurred so far. The woman died of cardiomyopathy, which has no treatment.
To ensure safe deliveries in the tribal region and to reduce maternal and infant deaths, Parvatipuram ITDA led by the then Project Officer Dr Laxmisha had set up hostels for pregnant women. Pregnant women will be shifted to the hostels from the hilly areas and other remote Agency hamlets two months before the date of delivery. Then Saluru hostel was set up in September and GL Puram hostel in November last year. About 200 women from GL Puram hostel and 187 from Saluru hostel have successful deliveries so far.
Intensive care will be provided to the pregnant women round-the-clock in the PWHs, Parvatipuram deputy DM&HO Dr M Ravi Kumar Reddy said. Speaking to TNIE, he said exercise, yoga, meditation, nutritional food and entertainment will be provided to the hostel inmates. He said staff nurses and ANMs will watch the physical and psychological condition of the pregnant women and coordinate with gynaecologists and other medical experts. Qualified MBBS doctors were deployed in each hostel for regular checkup of the inmates. Postnatal care education will be provided to pregnant women. Doctors will inform them how to take care of newborn babies through video films.
Once the pregnant women experience mild labour pain, they will be shifted to Community Health Centres (CHCs) for deliveries, Dr Reddy said. He also said that after deliveries they would be shifted back to their houses.