In order to ensure maternal health services and protection of people’s right to health, voluntary organisations in 18 districts of Madhya Pradesh are undertaking the Maternal Health Rights campaign.
The 18 districts are - Sidhi, Satna, Rewa, Shahdol, Anuppur, Morena, Tikamgarh, Bhind, Ashoknagar, Bhopal, Sagar, Vidisha, Raisen, Chhindwara, Betul, Hoshangabad, Guna and Sehore.
A community monitoring process was conducted in 13 districts of Madhya Pradesh by civil society organisations (CSOs) supporting the campaign. With the aim of sharing and discussing the findings from the community monitoring process, a State-level public health dialogue was organised at Gandhi Bhawan, Bhopal on Wednesday.
The public dialogue was attended by nearly 120 people from 18 districts, including Dr Archna Mishra (Joint director, NRHM), Dr Aboli Gore (deputy team leader, Madhya Pradesh trust), Dr YK Sandhya (member, National Alliance for Maternal Health and Human Rights), Dr Narendra Gupta (member, advisory group of community action) and Dr Ravi Dishuja (Sochara).
Observations done in 92 villages on the status of services being provided under Village Health and Nutrition Day (VHND) and interviewed with 112 pregnant women on ante-natal care (ANC) services, revealed that blood testing kits were not there at 46 per cent of places and height measurements are not being done at 82 per cent centres. Essential injections such as TT for pregnant women (82 per cent), BCG (39 per cent), and supplements of iron (12 per cent), calcium (25 per cent), zinc (65 per cent), albendazole (40 per cent) and ORS (13 per cent) are unavailable.
In the interviews conducted with 215 pregnant women it was found that blood pressure measurements were not taken for 36 per cent women, 24 per cent were not weighed even once and only 50 per cent reported weight measurements on 1-2 occasions. For 40 per cent women abdominal examination was not done, and 39 per cent said that their abdominal examination was conducted only 1-2 times during the entire term of pregnancy.
In the interviews conducted with 208 women eligible under the Janani Suraksha Yojana, 14 per cent women did not receive any cheque and 19 per cent of those women who did receive the cheque reported paying money to get it.
When asked about the ambulance services, it was found that 36 per cent women had to spend money for commuting to the hospital from their homes, while 75 per cent bore expenses for travelling from hospitals to their homes. Similarly, 19 per cent women had to pay for hospital admissions, 69 per cent reported not receiving free check-up in hospital, 51 per cent had to give money as donation to hospital staff at the time of delivery, 32 per cent did not receive medicines and 37 per cent reported not receiving food during hospital stay.