Increased Access to Healthcare Improves the Lives of 6000+ Women
Increased Access to Healthcare – With a population of about 1.38 billion people, India is a densely populated country. Over 500 million people live in rural and remote locations. That’s more than half of the country!
Life is not the same for people who live in these locations as it is for those who live in cities. There is a lack of access to everything, including education, employment, and healthcare.
PHCs (Primary Healthcare Centers) are the first points of contact for medical services. There are around 24,000 PHCs in India. However, the majority of individuals, particularly women and children, are unable to obtain adequate treatment.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), India accounts for over a million of the world’s 5 million maternal deaths. Maternal health care in rural areas is described as “Too Little, Too Late” in a Lancet Maternal Health report.
Limited literacy rates, low information about healthy pregnancies and births, and inadequate access to healthcare services and service delivery are the main causes of poor maternal healthcare.
Increased Access to Healthcare
RMNCH+A is a new product from RMNCH.
To address this frightening scenario, India’s government enacted a slew of policies, regulations, and protections for women and children.
Reproductive Maternal Newborn Child, plus Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) was one such government policy. Its goals include providing assistance to expectant moms, improving access to healthcare, and more. However, it was not implemented in all villages.
What does RMNCH+A stand for?
The RMNCH+A is a robust platform that provides healthcare services to a wide range of communities via a network of healthcare providers. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched it in 2013 to minimize mother and child morbidity and mortality.
It focuses on the leading causes of death in women and children, as well as the barriers to healthcare access.
However, a public-private partnership with strong political will and better management skills is required to properly implement this strategy in rural areas.
The Public Health Technologies Trust (PHTT), a non-profit organization established in New Delhi, is doing just that. They are implementing the RMNCH+A and altering the situation in rural areas in a dynamic way.
They collaborate with a variety of companies and follow a well-defined process to attain their objectives. The programmes are implemented by PHTT in an efficient, transparent, and methodical manner. Human resources are certified and trained in specific areas that are relevant to the program’s needs.
In 2015, PHTT partnered with The Nand and Jeet Khemka Foundation to work in three blocks of Bhagalpur district, Bihar — Shahkund, Kahalgaon, and Pirpainti – to increase public scheme access.
In addition, the hospital staff was taught and given easy-to-use diagnostic kits to ensure that high-quality care was provided. More than 6000 women were enrolled in less than two years, and 13,000 diagnostic tests were performed.
Women were educated about safe pregnancies through awareness initiatives in addition to completing testing and giving critical care.
They have only recently begun executing the scheme in Maharashtra.
