Minister P Paiwang Konyak along with S Tainiu Lam, Secretary, H&FW and officers of the DoHFW during the 10th anniversary of PMSMA in Kohima on June 9. (Photo Courtesy: NHM Nagaland)
• Over 23,000 pregnant women received antenatal care
• 2,303 high-risk pregnancies identified and treated
Kohima, June 9 (MExN): Nagaland marked the 10th anniversary of the Pradhan Mantri Suraksha Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), a flagship programme of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), with State Health and Family Welfare Minister P Paiwang Konyak launching a commemoration at the Directorate of Health and Family Welfare, Kohima on June 9.
In a decade of implementation across the state, more than 23,000 pregnant women have received antenatal care under the scheme, while 2,303 high-risk pregnancies (HRPs) were identified and received early treatment, the Minister mentioned in his address.
“Over these ten years in Nagaland, our doctors and gynaecologists have not waited for mothers to come to them. Specialists have travelled to critical health facilities (PHCs and CHCs) to ensure that no mother is left behind, and any high risk is detected early,” Konyak said.
The minister noted that gynaecologists have reached critical locations carrying portable ultrasound equipment under the National Health Mission, extending specialist-led care to areas that would otherwise have gone unserved, stated a press release received here.
Konyak acknowledged the contribution of specialists, doctors, nurses, ANMs and ASHAs, stating the programme’s success would not have been possible without their relentless work. He also released a short video chronicling ten years of PMSMA in Nagaland.
Appealing for a renewed push, the minister said, “As we celebrate this milestone, let us renew our commitment to reach even more mothers, in even the most remote corners of our State.”
Nationwide special session held
As part of the 10th anniversary observance, a nationwide special PMSMA session was organised across all designated PMSMA facilities, conducted by specialists as well as at all public health facilities. Additional PMSMA days under the Extended PMSMA (e-PMSMA) framework will also be organised throughout the month of June.
In Nagaland, 60 designated health units, comprising District Hospitals, Community Health Centres (CHCs), Primary Health Centres (PHCs) and Health and Wellness Centres (HWCs) are currently providing PMSMA services. All 336 functional HWCs in the state will also be providing services and will facilitate tele-consultation with specialists through eSanjeevani, the National Telemedicine Service, wherever required.
Observed on the 9th of every month, PMSMA aims to provide fixed-day, assured, comprehensive and quality antenatal care to pregnant women, particularly during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy. Since its launch in 2016, the programme has strengthened access to specialist-led antenatal care and contributed to improving the continuum of maternal healthcare across the country.
Under the Extended PMSMA (e-PMSMA), the department is further ensuring name-based tracking and follow-up of identified high-risk pregnancies until delivery and up to 45 days postpartum.
