Tamil Nadu’s latest health care initiative comes packed compact in a small kit box. On Tuesday, Chief Minister Jayalalithaa announced on the floor of the Assembly that the government would provide an Amma Baby Care Kit to all mothers who deliver babies in any government hospital in the State.
The kit, which will contain baby and mother essentials post-partum, will include baby towels, napkins, a dress, bedding, mosquito net, oil, nailcutter, soap and soap box, toys, a rattle and hand sanitiser, apart from Sowbhagya Leghyam to build the mother’s health.
Ms. Jayalalithaa announced that about 6.7 lakh children born in government hospitals every year would benefit and a sum of Rs. 67 crore had been apportioned for it.
“The main idea is to promote hygiene and sanitation among mothers and newborns, and help in the development of the infant. The mother goes through a lot after the delivery, and needs some attention too, which is often denied to her,” says an official of the Health Department. Tamil Nadu has a better Infant Mortality Rate in the country at 21 children per 1000 live births, annually. Experts point out that focus should also be on neonatal mortality, where babies die within the first 28 days of birth (15 per 1000 live births in a year). This kit will come in handy during this initial period, they feel, and recommend that the scheme be replicated countrywide.
Besides contributing to the feel-good factor for the mother, it also will help the family tide over the first few days after birth. “We have known parents who find it tough even to buy diapers for the baby,” says K. Saraswathy, former director, Institute of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, here. “The mothers will also have to be taught how to use the products,” she adds.
“We recommend an oil massage, which has a positive psychological calming effect on the baby and helps the mother bond with the baby. The oil will help temperature stability in winter, the rattle will help visual and auditory stimulation of the baby,” says neonatologist Deepa Hariharan. Better hygiene naturally means the baby’s survival improves drastically, she adds.
