The Challenge
According to National Family Health Survey – 4 (2015-16) in Maharashtra
49% Pregnant women age 15-49 years are anemic.
68% Mothers did not have full antenatal care.
44% Children age 12-23 months are not fully immunized (BCG, measles, and 3 doses each of polio and DPT)
SNEH Solution
SNEH’s project Vatsalya aims to focus on maternal, child & adolescent girl health intending to reach out to Adolescent Girls, females in prenatal, antenatal, and postnatal phase to educate them on aspects of Anemia and Ante-Natal, Post-Natal & Neo-Natal care. The specific areas proposed to be covered include urban slums of Pimpri Chinchwad area.
the primary objective of SNEH would be to ensure timely services to the beneficiaries along with counselling by developing an efficient tracking and monitoring system for interventions.
Priority interventions for Adolescent health
- Provision for providing iron and folic acid supplementation through a local municipal corporation
- Information and counselling on adolescent sexual reproductive health and other health issues
- Advice on Menstrual hygiene and anemia
- Initiation of Preventive health check-ups
Priority interventions for pregnancy and childbirth
- Ensuring delivery of antenatal care package and tracking of high-risk pregnancies
- Guaranteeing skilled obstetric care
- Availability of Immediate essential newborn care and resuscitation
- Availability of emergency obstetric and neonatal care
- Counselling on Postpartum care for mother and newborn
- Counselling on Postpartum IUCD and sterilization
- Implementation of PC&PNDT Act
Priority interventions
- Ensuring Home-based newborn care and prompt referral
- Ensuring availability of Facility-based care of the sick newborn
- Counselling on Integrated management of common childhood illnesses (diarrhea, pneumonia, and malaria)
- Advice on Child nutrition and essential micro-nutrients supplementation
- Ensuring Immunization
- Guaranteeing Early detection and management of defects at birth, deficiencies, diseases, and disability in children (0–18 months)
Priority interventions through reproductive years
- Community-based promotion and delivery of contraceptives
- Development of spacing methods (interval IUCD)
- Promotion of Sterilization services (vasectomies and tubectomies)
- Ensuring Comprehensive abortion care (includes MTP Act)
- Counselling on Prevention and management of sexually transmitted and reproductive infections (STI/RTI)
Impact
Started in 2017, Project Vatsalya SNEH has reached to 453 adolescent girls from 7 corporation schools of PCMC. 181 Of them have been identified and intervened for Anemia.
With regards to the maternal healthcare initiative, SNEH has identified a community with 70 females who are in either Prenatal, Antenatal or postnatal phase. This community was chosen because of the absence of ASHA worker in this area as well as complaints from the community about the government hospital with regards to maternal health care services.
SNEH did Liaoning between the community and government hospital staff with the help of consecutive meetings between them that were focused on discussions, informative sessions and dealing with issues about maternal health care.
The target group was provided with awareness sessions on Breastfeeding, the importance of immunization, mental health, government facilities for pregnancy and newborn health care to ensure sustainability of better health of the mother and the infant child. Till date, out of 35 mothers who delivered, around 32 of them are healthy themselves along with their babies. Rest of the mothers are regularly visiting the maternity home/ public hospital to ensure proper growth and development. Out of 9 High-risk pregnancies, three have successfully delivered healthy babies.