Asserting that maternity services have not been hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Health and Family Welfare Department has said that there was a 7% reduction in maternal deaths in the first quarter of 2020-21 (April to June).
State Deputy Director (Maternal Health) N. Rajkumar told The Hindu that as many as 210 maternal deaths were recorded in the first quarter of 2019-20, and in the corresponding period this year, the number was 195. “This shows that maternity services are largely effective in the State,” he said.
The health expenditure pertaining to the Maternal Health programme under the National Health Mission also increased to 78% from 45% over the same period last year. The major expenditure of the programme involves disbursing Janani Suraksha Yojana incentives to pregnant women soon after delivery and providing cashless delivery services in the form of free drugs and consumables, free blood, free referral transport, free diet, and diagnostics to pregnant women irrespective of their economic status, he said.
Amid the pandemic, the department has ensured uninterrupted services of doctors, nurses and support staff for providing delivery services.
“While hospitals have been designated for COVID-19-positive maternity services, we have also maintained an adequate stock of key drugs such as IFA, Calcium, folic acid, and iron sucrose injection and consumables such as suture material, gloves, and PPE,” the doctor said.
