The Union government has widened the scope of the Janani–Shishu Suraksha Karyakram, implemented under the National Rural Health Mission.
Official sources told The Hindu here on Thursday that the scheme, which was limited to the birth of the first two children, had now been extended to the birth of more children.
The main aim of the scheme is to make deliveries in hospitals and primary health centres accessible to women in order to bring down the infant mortality rate (IMR) and the maternal mortality rate (MMR). Sources said the Union government had widened the scope of the scheme from August.
Break-up in Gulbarga
Sources said that in the first quarter of the current financial year, Gulbarga district reported 11,825 deliveries and the Health and Family Welfare Department had set a target of bringing at least 49 per cent of the deliveries under the Janani–Sishu Suraksha scheme. However, officials could reach out only to 3,109 beneficiaries.
Sources said that of this, 2,273 deliveries were normal and all these deliveries took place in hospitals and primary health centres. A few deliveries took place in the women’s homes with the help of health activists. As many as 317 were Caesarean section surgeries performed in government and private hospitals.
A total of 519 deliveries in nursing homes and private hospitals were covered under the Janani–Sishu Suraksha scheme. There has been a considerable increase in the number of institutional deliveries and only around 3 per cent of the deliveries took place in homes without the help of health activists. As many as 64 per cent of the deliveries took place in district and taluk government hospitals and 33 per cent of the deliveries were in private hospitals and nursing homes.
Sources said that in the last four months, nine cases of maternal deaths were reported. This included two each in Jewargi, Gulbarga Rural and Gulbarga Urban and one each in Afzalpur, Chittapur and Sedam taluks. The MMR in the State was 178 per one lakh live births and Infant Mortality Rate was 47 per 1000 live births.
The incentives
In the implementation of the Janani–Sishu Suraksha scheme, Gulbarga district was ranked 16th in the State. The beneficiaries covered under the scheme would get Rs. 700 as cash incentive besides free treatment in rural areas if the delivery took place in the hospital and Rs. 500 cash incentive for births taking place at home with the help of health activists.
In urban areas, a sum of Rs. 600 is provided for every birth taking place in hospital and Rs. 500 for births taking place at home with the help of health activists. Sources said women who undergo a C-section in private hospitals would be paid Rs. 1,500 as incentive and for those who go to government hospitals it is Rs. 700.
