Union Government launches app to rope in gynaecologists from private sector for voluntary services at Primary Health Centres in rural India
In a desperate plea to address the shortage of gynaecologists in government sector, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has now turned to engage private sector to offer voluntary services in rural parts of India.
MoHFW has launched a mobile application — Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, which can be downloaded on android phones. This app gives an opportunity for gynaecologists working in private sector to register their details. “Once the gynaec registers their details on the app, they are diverted to the respective district Chief Medical Officer, who then will co-ordinate to rope in the voluntary doctor to a designated Primary Health Centre or Community Health Centre, where the private expert can offer a day’s voluntary service to screen pregnant mothers for risks,” says CK Mishra, Secretary, MoHFW.
“We fall short of up to 35% gynaecologists in government sector. We are unable to fill up these posts despite many efforts,” says Mishra.
India has 45,000 gynaecologists. Up to 1500 gynaecologists have expressed interest in helping out with the Abhiyan, said Dr Alka Kripalani, head of gynaecology, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and President of Federation of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FOGSI).
The state of pregnant mothers in India for whom it is difficult to access health services is extremely dismal, health officials admitted on Friday at the launch of Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan. India records three crore pregnancies every year of which only 19.7% receive doctor’s services entailing full ante-natal check up (ANC) services that are a must for any safe delivery. India loses over 44,000 women to pregnancy-related complications every year, which means one woman dies every twelve minutes for want of care. Women who are deprived of a nurse or a doctor conducting checks for diabetes, high blood pressure, haemoglobin and ultrasonographies are at high risk of deaths.
Vandana Gurnani, Joint Secretary (Reproductive and Child Health), MoHFW says, “We have informed the states to flag off the message to districts that transportation of private doctors who volunteer to help should be taken care off. Funds should be utilized from National Health Mission to facilitate this.”
India has failed to meet the Millenium Development Goals that required maternal mortality to fall below 100 per 1,00,000 population. “There 167 maternal deaths per 1,00,000 recorded in India. It is challenging to reduce these deaths. The Sustainable Development Goals now demand that deaths be reduced to 70 per 1,00,000,” said Mishra.
“In areas like Bundelkhand, rate is higher standing at 178 deaths per 1,00,000,” said a health official. “In inaccessible areas across India, where ambulances do not reach, women have to be carried on makeshift cots, in shrouds up to the road, or the hospital. Many give up in jungles to deliver in open.”
“This is precisely why we need to identify high risk pregnancies during screenings. If the pregnancy is normal, the delivery can be conducted by a nurse, however if it is complicated, and the patient is aware, then care should be taken to conduct a medically supervised delivery,” said Dr Jagdish Prasad, Director General of Health Services.
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