Proceeding Volume 4 Issue 2
Department of Community Medicine and Family Medicine, All India Institute of Medical Sciences, India
Correspondence: Mahendra Singh, Department of Community Medicine & Family Medicine, AIIMS,-46, Abhaygarh, Opposite Air force K.V.No:1 school, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, Tel 9799624704
Received: January 26, 2017 | Published: February 9, 2017
Citation: Singh M, Sonkaria LK, Raghav P. Pradhan mantri surakshit matritva abhiyan (PMSMA): new initiative to deliver quality maternal health care in India. MOJ Womens Health. 2017;4(2):37-38. DOI: 10.15406/mojwh.2017.04.00081
While India has made considerable progress in the reduction of maternal and infant mortality, every year approximately 44000 women still die due to pregnancy-related causes. Many of these deaths can be prevented if quality care is provided to pregnant women during their antenatal period. The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) has been launched by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India to provide assured, comprehensive and quality antenatal care, free of cost, universally to all pregnant women on the 9th of every month. Doctors and medical professionals working in private healthcare sector would be encouraged to participate in the scheme and give 12days of free services per year to poor pregnant women at public health facilities where government sector practitioners are not available or inadequate. Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan is really a great initiative and will certainly help pregnant women from backward classes, rural areas and uneducated in remaining healthy throughout their pregnancy.
Keywords: antenatal care, pregnancy, high risk, maternal mortality ratio (MMR)
PMSMA, pradhan mantri surakshit matritva abhiyan; MMR, maternal mortality ratio
The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) has been launched by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (MoHFW), Government of India on 9th June 2016.1 The program aims to provide assured, comprehensive and quality antenatal care, free of cost, universally to all pregnant women on the 9th of every month. PMSMA guarantees a minimum package of antenatal care services to women in their 2nd / 3rd trimesters of pregnancy at designated government health facilities. The programme follows a systematic approach for engagement with private sector which includes motivating private practitioners to volunteer for the campaign developing strategies for generating awareness and appealing to the private sector to participate in the Abhiyan at government health facilities. Any private or retired doctor, medical organization, hospitals can join the PMSMA.
Goal of the PMSMA
Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan envisages to improve the quality and coverage of Antenatal Care (ANC) including diagnostics and counselling services as part of the Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) Strategy.2
Objectives of the program
Key Features of PMSMA
Data indicates that Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India was very high in the year 1990 with 556 women dying during child birth per hundred thousand live births as compared to the global MMR of 385/lakh live births. As per RGI- SRS (2011-13), MMR of India has now declined to 167/lakh live births against a global MMR of 216/lakh live births (2015). India has registered an overall decline in MMR of 70% between 1990 and 2015 in comparison to a global decline of 44%.3 While India has made considerable progress in the reduction of maternal and infant mortality, every year approximately 44000 women still die due to pregnancy-related causes and approximately 6.6 lakh infants die within the first 28 days of life.4 Many of these deaths are preventable and many lives can be saved if quality care is provided to pregnant women during their antenatal period and high risk factors such as severe anemia, pregnancy-induced hypertension etc are detected on time and managed well. Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan is really a great initiative and will certainly help pregnant women from backward classes, rural areas and uneducated in remaining healthy throughout their pregnancy. Till 31st Dec. 2016, total 2772 volunteers have joined this campaign.
Initial results of this programme are motivating and successful. If government works with same will-power these steps will prove to be milestones in improving maternal health in India.
None.
The author declares no conflict of interest.
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