Govt committed to ensuring maternal, child health: Nadda

The government is committed to ensuring maternal and child health and providing quality of care in health services, Health Minister J P Nadda said today.
Nadda also highlighted the progress that needs to be made towards providing quality care to all women in the rural areas, especially those residing in high priority districts.
Nadda was speaking at national event on the theme 'Quality, Equity and Dignity for Maternal Health' on the eve of National Safe Motherhood Day 2017 organised by White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, India (WRAI), in collaboration with the Indian Association of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (IAPPD).

"The government is committed towards the goal of ensuring maternal and child health and providing quality of care in health services," he said.
"Several initiatives such as the Janani Suraksha Yojana, a direct cash transfer scheme, Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, a programme that provides ante-natal services by skilled provides on the 9th day of every month, the birth companion initiative and several others aim to improve quality of care for maternal health services.
"These interventions have resulted in a sharp 40.2 per cent rise in institutional births in ten years," a statement quoting Nadda said.

A petition signed by 1,43,556 rural women from across India, highlighting their most critical healthcare needs, was presented to Nadda on the occasion.

Later Nadda tweeted, "I congratulate IAPPD, & White Ribbon Alliance for ensuring quality, equity & dignity for maternal & newborn health services. GoI is working towards reduction of maternal deaths through important schemes like #JSY, #PMSMA & #JSSK."
"Urged everyone to encourage greater community participation to raise awareness regarding the need of #safemotherhood," he tweeted.
The WRAI had launched national campaign 'Hamara Swasthya, Hamari Awaz', in December 2016.
The objective of the campaign is to amplify rural women's voices, needs and priorities in healthcare.
The findings reveal that a sizeable 36 per cent of the women have asked for access to maternal health entitlements, services and supplies, followed by 23 per cent women who seek healthcare services provided with dignity and respectful care.

Twenty per cent of the women seek availability of health providers while 16 per cent seek clean and hygienic health facilities, the statement said.