“In Sundergarh district, the number of maternal deaths has dropped significantly as a result of the ‘Matrujyoti’ programme. Through this programme, all pregnant mothers in the district can be provided with 4 free ultrasound and ancillary testing services during pregnancy to save precious lives,” said the Chief Minister of Odisha recently.
So, what is ‘Matrujoyoti’ all about? As the name itself suggests, it is a programme for mothers – the ‘would-be-mothers’. This initiative was envisioned by a 2012-batch IAS officer of Odisha cadre who is Sundergarh Collector now, Mr. Nikhil Pavan Kalyan. And, with his efforts, this programme has shown magical results in very less time.
Started in October 2020, maternal healthcare underwent a sea change in Sundargarh after its launch, with the district health team constantly aiming to reduce the graph of infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate through it. Launched with financial support from the District Mineral Foundation, Matrujyoti offers four free ultrasound and other tests to every woman during pregnancy. Indian Masterminds interacted with Sundergarh Collector Nikhil Pavan Kalyan, IAS, to know more about this programme.
MATRUJYOTI
Most common causes of complications leading to death during pregnancy are excessive blood loss, infection, high blood pressure, unsafe abortion and obstructed labour.
Mr. Kalyan told Indian Masterminds: “Matrujyoti programme has made a monumental difference in maternal healthcare in Sundargarh. Over 30,000 ultrasound and other tests have been conducted so far under it. Many high-risk cases have been mitigated through timely intervention of the health ecosystem. Technology and transparency are the key to implementing programmes around mother and children’s health in Sundargarh. Digitization of Matrujyoti data along with use of its website and app helps the district administration to get status of mother and child health on their fingertips.”
He further informed that maternal and infant mortality ratio in Sundargarh has been less in comparison to the state. To further improve the situation, Matrujyoti programme is now playing a pivotal role. Free ultrasound and other tests to pregnant women are helping save precious lives. MMR and IMR in the district are now less than the state average.
HIGHLIGHTS
Apart from four free ultrasound tests for all pregnant women in the district, there is much more in this scheme. 28000 would-be-mothers will benefit annually with Antenatal Care Service (ANC). ANC is care before birth and includes education, screening, counseling, treatment, monitoring and promoting the well-being of the mother and foetus. ANC is based on providing women and their families appropriate advises and information which may help them to be in a good health during pregnancy and delivery.
At the same time, renovation and upgradation of more than 2500 Anganwadi Centres are being done under this programme. The construction of 700 Model Anganwadi Centres has also started. The centres will have toilets, modular kitchen, playground etc., for holistic growth of children.
Eight social health workers and Anganwadi workers have been employed to provide special care to pregnant women. In addition, the district helpline helps in arranging appointment, coordination and monitoring of doctors in high-risk cases. It also helps in real-time assessment by analysing the cases through the ‘e-Health’ portal.
ASHA and Anganwadi workers have been given smartphones with the ‘Matrujyoti’ app on it and are trained accordingly to use them for data entry. The recorded data helps in real-time monitoring of the cases and health intervention by the empanelled hospitals and clinics, as well as aids the administration in decision-making for effective programme management.
EFFECTS
As per the monthly data from May-October 2020, the maternal mortality cases recorded were 19. However, the number recorded in the next six months, after the launch of ‘Matrujyoti’, came down to 9. And the good news is that, zero maternal death was recorded in the months of January and March 2021.
The service has shown encouraging signs and is going to be instrumental in curbing Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in the district in the long term. Under ‘Matrujyoti’, over 28 thousand pregnant women of the district are going to get the benefit annually. To achieve these objectives, seven government hospitals and 45 private clinics have been empanelled by the district administration. Anganwadi and ASHA workers along with Gaon Kalyan Samiti (GKS) members and the local community have played a vital role in the success of this programme.
5T INITIATIVE
The 5T initiative is an ambitious scheme of the government of Odisha, under which institutions are modernised to bring about a paradigm shift. 5T stands for Transparency, Teamwork, Technology, Time and Transformation. Transformation through teamwork using technology within timeline insuring transparency within a time frame. This is the basic objective of this scheme.
Sundargarh Collector Nikhil Pavan Kalyan is a true torchbearer of 5T schemes as he bats for use of technology in the extreme level, which is clearly visible in the ‘Matrujyoti’ scheme. A former IT professional, Mr. Kalyan had worked with MNCs before clearing UPSC CSE in 2011. That’s why he supports the use of technology to achieve transformation in people’s lives. Now, as the Collector of a huge district like Sundargarh, he is changing the lives of thousands of women with his tech-driven initiatives.
