Jharkhand received the Pradhanmantri Surakshit Matritav Abhiyan Team awards on Monday for its work in the field of securing safe maternity. Principal Secretary, Health Nidhi Khare received the award by Union Health Minister JP Nadda in Delhi on Friday.
“The State has recorded a decline in its MMR from 208 to 165, which is still higher than the national average of 130. However, the state has achieved the sharp decline in its MMR with strategically focusing on low hanging fruits like Rational deployment of nurses at delivery point, Increasing the l1 delivery points, Convergence with the department of social welfare for effective ANC at AWCs and effective community mobilisation approach through sahiya,” said Khare.
“Jharkhand was recorded to have MMR of 312 in 2004 -6 as per SRS. The award we received is for a sharp decline in MMR. Sharpest decline of 43 points,” she added.
Khare said that the PM had given a call to private practitioners to also adopt go for free Ante natal checkups of pregnant women (PW) every 9th of the month under PMSMY. “This increased the participation of private practitioners and opened PW to expert care at the time of pregnancy.... Jharkhand has done wonders in reporting maximum high risk pregnant women... thereby giving them timely care and reducing death during pregnancy,” she added.
