SAMBALPUR: A mobile application has helped save lives of new mothers in Sambalpur district, bringing down the mortality rate to a new low in 2018-19 fiscal. The number of home births has come down to 83 in 2018-19 against 139 in 2017-18, the year the App was launched.
Out of total 19,262 deliveries conducted during 2018-19, the infant deaths has come down to 284 in 2018-19 compared to 356 in 2017-18, said Additional District Medical Officer (Family Welfare), Dr Kuber Chandra Mohanta. The number of maternal deaths, which was the focus area of the administration was recorded at 18 against 46 previous year, he added.
Buoyed by the significant achievement, the health officials and Asha workers have been given a target to bring down the figure to single digit in 2019-20, he added.
In 2017, an app - ‘High Risk Mother Tracking’ - was introduced for the first time in the State which helped in tracking and monitoring the status of pregnant women in the district. The app also keeps a record of their health parameters and other necessary data which are uploaded by health officials at different stages of pregnancy.
The app functions in three stages. In the first stage, the Village Health and Nutrition Day (VHND) supervisors upload the data of the pregnant women present on ‘Mamta Divas’ held every Tuesday and Friday at block level. The App then filters the data and marks out the risk inducing parameters in red and forwards it to the health officials or doctors at Community Health Centres who diagnose the risk and suggest a remedy. In the third stage, the data is sent to district collector, CDMO and other health official concerned who take necessary steps to curb the risk.
The primary data like name of the woman, her address, contact number and photo are recorded in the first stage and thereafter monitored at regular intervals. Besides, a help desk has also been set up to talk to women with complications on daily basis, either through ANM or Asha workers to assist them.
The app has helped district administration, in a long way to achieve the target and prevent many causalities arising due to risk. With new benchmarks, every year the administration is trying to bring the figure to as low as possible. Sometimes negligence on the part of people hinders development. An Asha worker said during home birth the family members try to deliver the child without intimating the health staff, which often leads to the death of child or both mother and child.
Tracking mother’s health
‘High Risk Mother Tracking’ introduced in 2017
Helps in tracking and monitoring status of pregnant women
Keeps a record of their health parameters and other necessary data
Data uploaded by health officials at different stages of pregnancy and communicated to higher dist officials who take necessary steps to curb the risk