Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan
The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) was recently launched by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
It is aimed to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates through safe pregnancies and safe deliveries. India is poised to work towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in maternal and child healthcare.
A PSMA Web Portal & a Mobile Application was also launched to raise awareness about the campaign.
Aims of the programme:
- To provide special free antenatal care to about 3 crore pregnant women across the country
- To provide fixed day assured, comprehensive and quality antenatal care to pregnant women on the 9th of every month.
- Pregnant women can avail of a special antenatal check-up in their second or third trimesters at Government health facilities
- A minimum package of investigations and medicines such as IFA and calcium supplements would be provided to all pregnant women attending the PMSMA clinics.
- support from private sector doctors to supplement the efforts of the Government sector
- Other additional services like ultrasound, blood and urine tests, to be provided in both rural and urban areas.
- To identify and follow-up on high risk pregnancies in order to reduce MMR and IMR, he added.
- Apart from diagnostic and treatment services, counselling pregnant women will also be provided especially in cases of high-risk pregnancies.
- support from state governments, apex bodies like the IMA and the FOGSI, Lions and Rotary clubs as well as development partners
Why such a move?
- It is a significant step towards reducing maternal mortality rate in India.
- Also it is a good step towards improving the quality of health coverage across the country.
- So far, India has made substantial progress on several indicators in the recent years.
- And the national health indicators like Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Maternal Maternity Rate (MMR) and under five mortality rate are declining at a fast pace.
The programme is based on the belief that if each and every pregnant woman in India is examined by a physician and appropriately investigated at least once during the pregnancy and then appropriately followed up, the Abhiyan can avoid many preventable deaths. The Abhiyan aims at making pregnancy a social movement.
