The Programme, known as Zanani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram, was launched at a function at Al-Afia hospital in Mandi Kheda village of Nooh block of Mewat district of Haryana was an ambitious plan of ministry of health and family welfare.
“It is sad that 67,000 women die in childbirth every year and nine lakh children die in one month of birth. This scheme will give right to all pregnant women to have free delivery in government health organisations,” Gandhi said adding that all medicines and medical tests and provision for blood will be done free of cost.
She said the government will also take care of the expenses if the patient is referred to a bigger hospital. Officials said the scheme will also include the treatment of sick new born till 30 days after their birth.
“I hope all states will implement this scheme with full responsibility,” she said, adding the scheme will be under the National Rural Health Mission which was started by UPA in 2005.
The initiative aims at guaranteeing free delivery, including caesarean operation for every pregnant woman accessing a government health institute besides provision of free transport from home to health unit, facilities in case of referral and drop back from health centre to home.
Earlier, announcing the project during a press briefing on two years of achievements of the Ministry under him, Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad had said that under it free medicines and free diet during stay in health centre will also be ensured. India has been ranked at 75th among 79 “less developed” countries, even below some of the poor African nations, in a study on ‘best place to be a mother’ released recently.
‘The 2011 Mothers’ Index’ by international child rights NGO ‘Save the Children’ has seen India slipping two positions down from the 73rd spot in last year’s study, bringing to fore the need for focus on critical areas like maternal and child mortality, say civil society activists.