PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Uttarkashi
To strengthen maternal and child health in the district, the Health department has launched an intensive campaign to promote institutional delivery. Under this campaign, Health department teams are going door-to-door in remote and potential home delivery areas to educate pregnant women and their families about safe delivery, thereby minimising the risks during delivery.
Under the direction of the chief medical officer, Dr B S Rawat, this campaign is being implemented under a specific strategy in all blocks of the district. Block coordinators, ASHA workers, ASHA facilitators and other health workers are identifying areas with potential home deliveries and identifying pregnant women who are due to deliver in the coming month. Teams then reach out to their homes to provide information about the benefits of institutional delivery, government health facilities and emergency services. Awareness activities have also been intensified during VHND (Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day) and other health programmes.
To ensure the campaign’s effectiveness and results, the additional chief medical officers have been appointed as nodal officers at the district level, and three strong teams have been formed. These teams are regularly visiting the field and communicating directly with pregnant women, their families and rural public representatives. Through these interactions, they are explaining that institutional delivery is not only safe, but the free medical facilities available during and after delivery can prove life-saving for both the mother and the newborn.
The CMO clarified that ensuring 100 per cent institutional deliveries in the district is the department’s top priority. He appealed to the people to register pregnant women on time and to deliver only at the nearest medical institution, to ensure the safety of the mother and newborn.
