Soon, pregnant women can register themselves from the comfort of their homes through an upgraded version of the Health Department’s software – Pregnancy Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation (PICME 2.0).
Officials of the Health Department said the revamped software — PICME 2.0 — will be rolled out on July 1. Till now, only village health nurses (VHN) have been registering pregnant women using PICME software.
“Starting July 1, all women should compulsorily register their pregnancy details on the website. They can pre-register from their homes by visiting the website or can approach the Common Service Centres. They need to provide preliminary details and will receive a registration number,” a senior health official said.
100% tracking
Women can also contact the Maternity and Child Health helpline at 102 to register. Once pre-registration is done, the VHN will visit them for confirmation of pregnancy and registration. “This registration system is to ensure 100% tracking of pregnant women, thereby reducing infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate in the State,” the official said.
The system, he said, was linked to birth certificates and only registered expectant mothers will receive birth certificates for their children. “This will pave way for ante-natal registration. Usually, mothers, who go to private hospitals, and higher order birth mothers do not get registered. This revamped PICME will ensure 100 per cent registration,” the official said.
Once a woman is registered, she will subsequently be linked to financial assistance under the Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme.
