National Safe Motherhood Day: National Awards to Health Providers

New Delhi, Delhi, India, Thursday, April 11, 2013 — (Business Wire India) — India has seen considerable progress in bringing down the number of women dying due to childbirth related causes. India has reduced MMR significantly from 437 per one lakh live births in 1999 to 212 now.

The current Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) of India is 212 per one lakh live births, whereas the country`s Millennium Development Goal (MDG) target in this respect is 109 per one lakh live births by 2015.

India is moving well on MMR. We have made progress in this regard. The MMR recorded a 38 per cent decline in maternal deaths between 1999 and 2009. There has been progress but we are not there just yet.

Over the last few decades, the country has taken many initiatives and made progress. With the implementation of schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana by Government of India we have been able to bring the women in the institutional fold. Government of India has also taken several policy decisions to improve quality in service delivery. Apart from strengthening infrastructure of health facilities Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), Staff Nurses (SNs) and Lady health visitors (LHVs) are being trained as skilled birth attendants, MBBS doctors are being trained in Essential life saving obstetric and anaesthetic skills.

Every year, on 11th April, India observes National Safe Motherhood Day so that citizens, communities and other stakeholders take a pause and deliberate on the maternal health situation in the country and look at what interventions are working and what more is needed to be done.

Health workers are critical to saving lives, they are the single most important resource of any health service. Without them, no vaccine can be administered, no life-saving drugs prescribed, no family planning advice provided and no woman can receive skilled care during childbirth.

Frontline health workers are the first and often the only link to health care for millions of people living in our countries. We know that a good health workforce with skills in planning, managing and providing preventive and curative health care is one of the key determinants of good health.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India has instituted National Safe Motherhood Awards for Health providers which will be awarded annually. It is hoped that these awards help develop greater respect for and appreciation of the life-saving care provided by health Providers and is an attempt to recognize health workers who dedicate their careers working in, most of the times, in underserved regions of our country.

These awards are given in the following categories:

ASHA, ANM, LSAS (Trainer and Trainee) and EmOC (Trainer and Trainee).

Nominations for National Safe Motherhood Awards for Health Personnel were received from across the country. Chief Guest, Ms. Anuradha Gupta, Additional Secretary and Mission Director, National Rural Health Mission gave away the awards to ASHAs, ANMs and Doctors for exceptional contribution to reduction in maternal mortality, at the national safe motherhood day event organized by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, India,

“Working towards educating mothers, fathers, communities, media, frontline health workers, civil societies institutions, elected representatives and policy makers, White Ribbon Alliance India intends to ensure that every woman counts and access health care before, during, after pregnancy and childbirth, and no needless maternal deaths take place.” says Dr. Aparajita Gogoi, Executive Director, CEDPA India and National Co-ordinator, the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood India.

Dr. Dinesh Baswal, Deputy Commissioner, Maternal Health, MoHFW Said ” 11th April is Shrimati Kasturba Gandhi`s birth anniversary and safe motherhood day is commemorated to mark the occasion. Our primary focus is on better nursing and better nursing techniques as nurses are frontline and have better reach amongst the masses and specially the poorly served rural communities”.

Winner of National Safe Motherhood Awards ASHA Punam Devi from Purnea District in Bihar says, “I like my job very much and I love what I am doing. I serve a thousand families and people in my village respect me. I guide pregnant women on nutrition and safe delivery, and ensure they are not anaemic. I encourage them to go to the hospital for routine check ups.”

Another award winner ASHA Veena Devi from Resai district of J&K “We now have better medical facilities and more awareness in our area. I provide care to more than 40 pregnant mothers.”