HYDERABAD: Health department officials in the State have decided to focus their attention on identifying high-risk pregnancies and planning such deliveries in advance with the hope that this brings down the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in the State. This will be the government’s latest effort in improving prenatal healthcare.
In cases of high-risk pregnancies, the women will be assigned to specific hospitals and community health centres in advance so that the doctors can be prepared with the required resources. Gynaecologists and anaesthetists will be informed in advance of the particular date on which the labour will be induced. They will also be ready with the blood of the right group to perform transfusion in case the necessity arises.
Auxiliary Nursing Midwives (ANM) would be given Hemoglobinometers, glucometers and digital blood pressure checking devices to know if a pregnant woman is anaemic, has hypertension, diabetes or any other related health conditions which are known to increase risk of death during delivery.
Earlier too, ANMs were required to perform these checks, but it was never enforced seriously.
According to Sample Registration System’s special bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India 2014-16, Telangana recorded the fifth lowest MMR in the country.
MMR is calculated as the proportion of maternal deaths per one lakh live births reported under SRS.
While the MMR for India on the whole is 130, the same number in Telangana is 81.
The lowest MMR of 46 was recorded in Kerala and it is 74 in case of Andhra Pradesh.
“Since pregnant women used to undergo health check ups at Primary Health Centres during their first or second trimester, we were not particular if ANMs performed these tests properly. Now, instructions have been given to them that there should not be any lapse in detecting high risk pregnancies. ANMs will perform initial diagnosis tests on every pregnant woman. If there is any need, they will be referred to either CHCs or Area Hospitals,” said an official.
The official added that after a woman with high risk pregnancy is identified, the health centre of hospital would be responsibile for making all the arrangements, including their transport to the centre on the day of delivery.