Keypoints:
- Soon, the civic body will appoint 20 ‘Arogya Sakhis’ in every health centre of BNMC for implementation of the programme.
- The Sakhis will move around slums and will ensure that women are taken to health centres for check ups and delivery.
- Around 12,000 to 13,000 deliveries are recorded in Bhiwandi town in a year, of which 3,000 to 4,000 are non- institutional, BNMC’s health officer Dr K R Kharat said.
- Presently, there are 15 civic-run health centres in the Bhiwandi Nizampur municipal limits.
The Civic body noted that deliveries at home in slums and rural areas, lead to the death of the pregnant woman and the child many times. Ok Sunday, an official said that The Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC) has decided to disallow pregnant women to deliver at home due to lack of health facilities and due to which the institutional deliveries are being made compulsory.
It has been noted many times that deliveries at home in slums and rural areas lead to the death of pregnant women and child, said the civic body’s health officer, Dr. K R Kharat.
Around 12,000 to 13,000 deliveries are recorded in Bhiwandi town in a year, out of which 3,000 to 4,000 are non-institutional. As these deliveries at home are carried out by midwives, women and children do not get proper health facilities. Dr K R Kharat added.
Currently, there are 15 civic-run health centres in the Bhiwandi Nizampur municipal limits, he added.
To provide better healthcare facilities to pregnant women, the Bhiwandi Nizampur Municipal Corporation (BNMC) Commissioner Dr. Pankaj Ashiya has decided to implement the ‘Arogya Sakhi’ programme compulsorily.
The trained women or Arogya Sakhis would look after pregnant women in rural areas and perform several important roles.Under the programme, it would be mandatory for deliveries to be conducted at government or civic hospitals.The Sakhis will be moving around the slum areas and will be ensuring that women are taken to health care centres for check ups and deliveries.The ‘Arogya Sakhis’ will provide home-based preventive care, perform diagnostic tests and screen for high-risk factors in expecting mothers and ensure early referral during antenatal and infancy period.
