Maternal mortality down with Asha assistance

Nashik: Over 3,000 Asha workers are motivating rural women across the district to opt for institutional deliveries to promote child survival and reduce maternal mortality. And the result is evident.

Of the 60,893 maternal deliveries in the rural parts of the district in 2014-15, as many as 57,061, or 93%, were institutional deliveries, district Health Officer Sushil Wackchaure said.

"Over the past eight to nine years, institutional deliveries in Nashik rural have increased from 51% to 95%," he said.

Last year saw 16,669 cases, in which the Asha workers were directly involved in motivating the women for institutional deliveries. Health officials said the rate of maternal mortality came under control when the women were encouraged to approach healthcare services for delivery.

An official said hospitals are properly equipped with tackling complications during deliveries and monitoring the health of the newborns.

Wackchaure said the Asha workers have also started keeping a check on the health of the newborns till they turn a year old. The aim of the follow-up of the newborns by the Asha workers is to bring down the Infant Mortality Rate in the tribal blocks such as Peth, Surgana,Trimbak, Nashik, Satana, Deola, Igatpuri, Kalwan and Dindori.

The Asha workers have also been instructed to immediately call up 108 ambulance on call, which is a free-of-cost government service, to take the pregnant women to state-run hospitals for deliveries. Once a woman delivers a baby, the ambulance drops her and the newborn home.

The officials said among other incentives, the Asha workers are provided with Rs 300 for motivating a woman for institutional delivery and another Rs 300 to provide services to a pregnant woman such as health check-up and providing the the required medicine during pregnancy.

The district has as many as 3,293 Asha workers. One Asha worker caters to a population of 1,000 in the tribal areas and one to 1,500 in the non-tribal areas.