April 11 is National Safe Motherhood Day
Dimapur, April 10 (MExN): National Safe Motherhood Day is observed every year in India on April 11 with special focus on ensuring quality services for safe motherhood. The day has been celebrated every year since 2003 to commemorate the birth anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi.
This year, the day is observed under the theme ‘Every Woman Counts’. It aims at enforcing the strong voice that all women should have access to care and no maternal death is acceptable. Surviving childbirth is a basic right of every woman and each individual directly or indirectly associated with the issue has a social responsibility to ensure that every woman counts.
The Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5 has set a target for reducing maternal mortality to 109 per one lakh live births. Achieving MDG 5 is not only an important goal in itself, it is also central to the achievement of the other MDGs: reducing poverty, reducing child mortality, stopping new HIV infections, providing education and promoting gender equality. Maternal deaths can be prevented by increasing the institutional delivery, reducing anemia among women and adolescents by IFA supplementation and by providing better postnatal care for mothers. Other indirect causes of maternal deaths like child marriage must be stopped and education of girls encouraged. Sustained development of the country can be achieved only if we take holistic care of our women and children. Maternal and child mortality and morbidity indicators reflect not only how well the health system is functioning, but also the degree of equity in public service delivery, utilisation of services, the social status of women and our concern for children.
In India, over the last decade there has been a considerable decline in MMR, IMR and TFR. Over the last few decades, the country has taken many initiatives and made progress. With the implementation of schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana by Government of India we have been able to bring the women in the institutional fold. The Government has also taken several policy decisions to improve quality in service delivery. Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), Staff nurses (SNs) and Lady health visitors (LHVs) are being trained as skilled birth attendants, MBBS doctors are being trained in Essential life saving obstetric and anaesthetic skills, various types of equipments are being provided to the Health Units.
Infrastructure of the health facilities are being strengthened and new Health Units are being constructed wherever the same is not available. Another schemes which has been launched for the benefit of the Mother and child on 4th August 2012 in the State is Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) entitling every pregnant women delivering at Government health facilities free drugs, free diagnostics, free diet, free delivery, free referral transportation. Similar facilities have been given to all sick neonates upto one month.
