RAJANNA-SIRCILL: The offer of a cradle is working like magic in making expecting mothers go in for normal deliveries at the government hospitals. After the State government began laying emphasis on normal deliveries, the staff of Vemulawada Area Government Hospital began motivating pregnant women to go in for normal deliveries instead of C-sections. If they give birth to a female child, they would get a cradle as gift. The expecting mothers are visiting the hospital periodically for a health check-up and it is when the health staff motivate them to go in for normal deliveries.
Hospital superintendent Dr Regulapati Mahesh Rao is spending money from his pocket on the purchase of the cradles as there is no provision in the hospital budget for gifting cradles to mothers. He began the scheme in the first week of May and has already gifted six cradles to the lactating mothers.As many as 49 normal deliveries took place at the hospital in the last three months as against 105 C-sections. The hospital authorities are hopeful that they will be able to reduce C-section surgeries gradually by turning women to normal deliveries.