Initiatives to Tackle Anaemia in Pregnant Women

Health is a state subject and the primary responsibility for strengthening health care services including implementation of national programs lies with the respective State/UT government. However, Government has taken steps to improve the condition of anaemia among all identified groups in all States/UTs.Under National Health Mission (NHM) the Government provides financial and technical support to States/UTs for implementation of Anaemia Mukt Bharat Strategy as proposed by the States/UTs in their annual Programme Implementation Plans.

The Government has ascertained the condition of pregnant women in the country and various steps taken by the Government of India, to improve health condition of pregnant women including for anemia, in all States/UTs, are as follows:

• Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan(SUMAN) provides assured, dignified, respectful and quality healthcare at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services for every woman and newborn visiting public health facilities to end all preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
• Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), a demand promotion and conditional cash transfer scheme for promoting institutional delivery.
• Under Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), every pregnant woman is entitled to free delivery, including caesarean section, in public health institutions along with the provision of free transport, diagnostics, medicines, other consumables & diet.
• Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) provides pregnant women a fixed day, free of cost assured and quality antenatal check up by a Specialist/Medical Officer on the 9th day of every month.
• LaQshya improves the quality of care in labour room and maternity operation theatres to ensure that pregnant women receive respectful and quality care during delivery and immediate post-partum.
• Monthly Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day (VHSND) is an outreach activity at Anganwadi centers for provision of maternal and child care including nutrition in convergence with the ICDS.
• Delivery Points- Over 25,000 ‘Delivery Points’ across the country have been strengthened in terms of infrastructure, equipment, and trained manpower for provision of comprehensive RMNCAH+N services.
• MCP Card and Safe Motherhood Booklet are distributed to the pregnant women for educating them on diet, rest, danger signs of pregnancy, benefit schemes and institutional deliveries.
• Reproductive and child health (RCH) portal is a name-based web-enabled tracking system for pregnant women and new born so as to ensure seamless provision of regular and complete services to them including antenatal care, institutional delivery and post-natal care.
•  The details of the steps taken by the Government to address the problem of anaemia across the country including Odisha are:

1. Prophylactic Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation in all six target age groups.
2. Intensified year-round Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) Campaign for:(a) improving compliance to Iron Folic Acid supplementation and deworming, (b) enhancing appropriate infant and young child feeding practices, (c) encouraging increase in intake of iron-rich food through diet diversity/quantity/frequency and/or fortified foods with focus on harnessing locally available resources.
3. Management of severe anaemia in pregnant women undertaken by administration of IV Iron Sucrose/Blood transfusion.
4. Field level awareness by ASHAs through community mobilization activities and IEC and BCC activities.

The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Bharti Pravin Pawar stated this in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha today.