3 new maternity waiting homes to be set up in Odisha

In order to promote institutional deliveries and check maternal and infant mortality rates, three new maternity waiting homes would be set up in most-vulnerable areas of Odisha's Koraput district on public-private-partnership mode.
At present, the district has eight such homes, called "Maa Gruhas", for its 14 blocks, officials said.
The proposed Maa Gruhas, which will come up at Laxmipur, Kotpad and Kunduli, would be temporary homes for expectant mothers and their escorts. They can await their delivery and be transferred to the nearby hospital shortly before delivery, they said.
Pregnant women with certain critical problems and high-risk mothers will be shifted to these maternity homes a few days before their delivery and kept there for at least 15 days before they are shifted to the nearby hospital before delivery, said collector (Koraput) Jaya Kumar V.

All medical and food expenses of the patient and one of her escorts will be taken care of by the district administration, he added.
The administration is hopeful that by shifting the expecting mother on time to the maternity centres will increase the chances of saving both the mother and the child.

According to the collector, the proposed maternity centres will have six beds each. However, if patients more than the capacity come to the facilities, they will also be accommodated, he said.
Around Rs 13 lakh per annum will be spent towards the maintenance of each maternity centre and all the expenses will be taken care of by the district mineral foundation.

At present, the maternity mortality rate in Koraput district is 154 for one lakh livebirths against the state and national averages of 202 and 220 respectively, officials added.