KRISHNAGIRI: The number of home delivery cases has come down significantly in Kelamangalam and Shoolagiri in the last six years, thanks to coordinated efforts of health department including like Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA), Village Health Nurse (VHN), the medical officers, and police. Out of the 10 revenue blocks in Krishnagiri district, Kelamangalam and Shoolagiri recorded almost half of the home delivery cases in the district for many years.
M Parvathi, ASHA worker from the Irula tribe in Kottayurkollai, who works among the community in Bettamugilalam panchayat, said she was abused by relatives of the pregnant women but remained with the health department for the last two years to ensure safe delivery of women in the area. “Whenever women refuse to go to hospitals for delivery, I inform Kelamangalam Block Medical Officer C Rajesh Kumar, who in turn informs Denkanikottai police. Officials will visit the woman and send her to health care institution,” she said. Parvathi is paid Rs 4, 000 per month.
In Shoolagiri block, out of 55 home delivery cases reported between April 2018 and August 2023, 31 cases were reported from tribal villages like Ramandoddi, Kariyachandram, Periyakuthi and others in Berigai Primary Health Centre limit. There are five PHCs in Shoolagiri block, in which more cases will be reported from Berigai PHC, said Shoolagiri Block Medical Officer NM Vennila.
Vennila told TNIE, “We will track every case using expected date of delivery to avoid complications. Berigai PHC team and staffs have worked a lot to bring zero home delivery cases in the past six months.”
Berigai PHC medical officer, PM Karthika Devi, told TNIE, “Many awareness camps were conducted for pregnant women on Tuesdays. In tribal areas which do not have proper transportation, mobile medical team will visit to follow-up on important cases. We will follow the hot spot areas and the cases from the beginning. VHN and ASHA workers will go to the spot and stress the importance of institutional delivery. For instance, a VHN accompanied a pregnant woman to Salem in June. Contact numbers of VHN, medical officer, BMO, health inspector will be available with the villagers, so they call us for any issues. Thus cases have reduced to zero in the past six months.”
Kelamangalam BMO added that police helped a lot to achieve this feat. Deputy Director of Health Services G Ramesh Kumar, due to tribal region, few cases are higher in Kelamangalam and Shoolagiri blocks, but continuous monitoring across the district led to reduce number of home delivery cases in Krishnagiri district for the past six years. Bettamugilalam panchayat alone has contributed to more number of cases in the block. For instance, in 2019- 2020, out of 29 home deliveries in Kelamangalam block, which has 28 panchayats, 21 were from Bettamugilalam. Similarly in 2020- 2021, out of 13 home deliveries in Kelamangalam block, nine were from Bettamugilalam panchayat. In this situation, no home deliveries were reported in 2022-23 and till August 2023.