BENGALURU: Despite constraints due to Covid-19, the state Health and Family Welfare Department reached out to 1.52 lakh (1,52,006) expecting mothers, who are from economically weaker sections, between April and July and provided them with financial aid under the Janani Suraksha Yojana programme. The scheme that is meant to bring down infant and maternal mortality rates doles out Rs 700 to mothers in rural areas and Rs 600 to those in urban areas. Of the total 1.91 lakh (1,91,490) expecting mothers across the state, the health department reached out to 1.52 lakh, meeting 79 per cent of its target -- also called the Expected Level of Achievement.
Dr N Rajkumar, Deputy Director, Mother Health Programme, said, “The financial aid is given to these women once they deliver in institutions, instead of homes, where they could face a slew of issues. There could be problems like postpartum haemorrhage, where the woman has heavy bleeding after giving birth.”
Dr B S Nanda Kumar, associate professor, Community Medicine, MS Ramaiah Medical College, said, “Apart from postpartum haemorrhage, two other leading causes of maternal mortality are eclampsia, which is convulsions during labour caused by hypertension, and puerperal sepsis, which is the infection of the genital tract leading to fever, triggered by unhygienic conditions at home.”
The baby too can face life-threatening conditions. “At times, the baby can take in the water present in the womb which can cause asphyxia. We take out the fluid that is choking the throat using suction,” Dr Rajkumar said.The department exceeded its target in June and recorded 139 per cent and in July, it was 88 per cent. But the performance was poor in April and May at 25 per cent and 65 per cent.
The highest number of beneficiaries were from Belagavi at 17,087, followed by Ballari at 10,594, Mysuru at 9,639, Vijayapura 8,882 and Tumakuru 7,626. But in Bengaluru Urban, only 6,004 women benefited. Bengaluru achieved only 24 per cent, 34 per cent, 42 per cent and 19 per cent from April to July.The health department stated that there has been a 7 per cent reduction in maternal mortality in Karnataka in the first quarter of 2020-21.