Pb pushes for ‘zero home deliveries’ to slash maternal mortality rate

Chandigarh: Concerned about high maternal mortality rate (MMR), a key indicator of healthcare quality in a state, Punjab is pushing its health officials to strive for “zero home deliveries”. Failure to comply with instructions would invite strict disciplinary action against the erring officials, they have been warned.
Highlighting the critical role of professional assistance during deliveries in ensuring quality maternal health, experts emphasise the importance of raising awareness on the benefits of ante-natal care and specialised care during delivery with an aim to encourage more expecting mothers to access medical facilities.

Dr Abhinav Trikha, mission director, NHM Punjab, has sent a communication to all civil surgeons in the state, highlighting the alarming increase in the MMR. This trend is in contrast to the national figure, where there has been a decline in the mortality rate.
Terming the high MMR a matter of “serious concern” for all, Dr Trikha said the maternal death review committee, in its meetings, noted that many of these mortalities were linked to home deliveries.
To reduce deaths, Dr Trikha underscored the importance of implementing a stringent policy of “zero home deliveries”. He emphasised that it was mandatory for all deliveries to be conducted exclusively by gynaecologists, doctors, staff nurses, and trained personnel within healthcare institutions. Dr Trikha directed civil surgeons to personally oversee the implementation of the policy in their respective districts.
He cautioned that any violation of this directive would result in serious disciplinary action against the officials responsible.
Health secretary Ajoy Sharma has also been closely monitoring the maternal deaths, looking into the causes behind each case, and convening video-conferences with all relevant staff in the affected areas. Following a recent maternal death reported in Ludhiana, a letter was shot off to all senior medical officers (SMO), directing them to register every pregnant woman, especially those in migratory populations, and ensure proper follow-up care for each patient. Explanation letters have been sent to the area auxiliary nurse midwives (ANM) and accredited social health activists (Asha) for failing to register the pregnant woman, along with the SMO concerned overseeing the matter.
All block and urban SMOs have been instructed to raise awareness about the importance of ante-natal, intra-partum, and post-partum care. The health secretary will review maternal deaths across all districts on Saturday. All civil surgeons have been instructed to participate in the meeting along with district family planning officers. Additionally, the districts, where maternal deaths occurred between Feb 26 and March 2, have been asked to be present, along with block SMOs, community health officers, and ANMs concerned. Civil surgeons have been tasked with preparing a gap analysis and proposing corrective measures to address this issue and prevent further maternal mortality.