BIHAR : For 26-year-old Sunita Devi, the birth of her baby brought anxiety along with relief. The daily wager from Singhia block in Bihar’s Samastipur was worried because her newborn had a low birth weight and needed urgent medical attention. What eased her fears was the care she received at a government health facility without having to spend a rupee.
Sunita credits IAS officer Surya Pratap Singh, the Deputy Development Commissioner (DDC) of Samastipur, with ensuring her safe delivery and medical care for her baby. She learnt about the facility from a village health worker and registered at the Maternal and Newborn Care Unit (MNCU) in Rosera. After completing the formalities, she was admitted to the 20-bed unit, where all services were provided free of cost.
“I don’t have to pay a single penny at the health facility. DDC Saheb is a messiah for expectant mothers and their newborn babies. Had I not come here, my family would have spent thousands of rupees on pre-delivery and post-delivery care. We would have fallen into the trap of moneylenders,” she said.
Babita Kumari, Sulekha Devi and Sushma Manjhi are many other beneficiaries of the MNCU in Dalsingsarai, the second such unit established in the district at Singh’s initiative. Singh converted an abandoned building in Rosera into a 20-bed MNCU after taking charge as DDC in January this year.
The unit caters to mothers and newborns from the region, and the number of beneficiaries has increased considerably since it became operational. A six-bed unit is also proposed at Patori. The MNCUs provide care to both babies born at the facilities and those brought from elsewhere. Newborns are kept under medical supervision for around 24 to 36 hours after birth. Doctors and other medical staff monitor their condition and provide care.
Singh has introduced Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) facilities in the district. KMC involves prolonged skin-to-skin contact between the mother and baby, support for breastfeeding and close monitoring. It is particularly important for eligible preterm and low-birth-weight babies. Together, the MNCU and KMC initiatives aim to strengthen care during delivery and the critical early days after birth.
Premature and low-birth-weight newborns are particularly vulnerable to hypothermia, feeding difficulties and infections. Singh said the first hours and days after birth were decisive for a newborn’s survival, health and development. Evidence suggests that KMC can reduce deaths among low-birth-weight infants by more than 40% compared with conventional care.
The World Health Organisation’s immediate KMC trial also found about 25 per cent lower mortality when the practice was started soon after birth, even before small babies were clinically stable. Sustained KMC from the first day requires the mother and baby to remain together.
The idea of setting up MNCUs and introducing KMC came to Singh while he was serving as DDC in Kaimur district. During a visit to a tribal belt near the Kaimur plateau, he noticed gaps in healthcare facilities and learnt about the high mortality among mothers and newborns after delivery.
“I noticed the lack of healthcare facilities and came to know about the high post-delivery mortality among mothers and children. I launched the initiative on an experimental basis there. In the meantime, I was transferred to Samastipur,” he said.
The new posting gave him an opportunity to expand the initiative. The units were first launched in Rosera and Dalsingsarai. Singh said he received regular updates, monitored their functioning and visited the centres from time to time.
A dedicated network of health workers across the district also helps expectant mothers access government healthcare facilities. The workers remain in contact with them and arrange transport from their homes to hospitals.