No pains in family and welfare dept despite Covid-19

Bengaluru: The Department of Health & Family Welfare is ensuring maternity and child health (MCH) services reach all eligible beneficiaries even during the pandemic.

The department stated that there has been a 7% reduction in the maternal deaths in the first quarter of 2020-21.

The health expenditure pertaining to the Mother Health programme under national health mission (NHM) also has been increased to 78% as compared to 45 % over the same period in last year.

The major expenditure of the programme involves disbursing Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) incentives to pregnant women soon after delivery and providing cashless delivery services in the form of free drugs and consumables, free blood, free referral transport, free diet and diagnostics to pregnant women irrespective of economic status.

In order to ensure the safety of pregnant women and newborn amid the pandemic, the health department ensured the uninterrupted services of the doctors, nurses and support staff for providing delivery services.

It has decided to designate hospitals for Covid positive maternity services and provide detailed SOPs regarding Covid care and reach out to the pregnant women through APTHAMITRA Helpline 14410.

"Ensuring adequate stock of key drugs such as IFA, calcium, folic acid and iron sucrose injection and suture materials, gloves, PPE kits etc are also the steps being taken. The sanction of additional human resource for MCH Hospitals to provide quality maternity services. Monthly review of the maternal and child nutrition by Chief Secretary, GoK with all the State level Officers, DCs, CEOs, WCD and H&FW department officials every month will also be taken," the department stated.