Source: PIB & LiveMint
Recently the Union Health Minister launched a new initiative – ‘Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan(SUMAN)’ for Zero Preventable Maternal and Newborn Deaths, its website and the grievance redressal portal. The initiative was launched during the 13th Conference of Central Council of Health and Family Welfare
Aim of the initiative
The initiative aims at assuring dignified, respectful and quality health care at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services for every woman and newborn visiting the public health facility in order to end all preventable maternal and newborn deaths. It also provides a positive birth experience to both mother and infant.
Key features
- Under this programme, Pregnant women, mothers up to 6 months after delivery, and all sick newborns will be able to avail free healthcare benefits. Which include:
- At least four antenatal check-ups
- One checkup during the 1st trimester
- At least one checkup under Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan
- Iron Folic Acid supplementation
- Tetanus Diptheria injection and
- other components of comprehensive ANC package and six home-based newborn care visits
- Under the initiative, there will be zero expense access to the identification and management of complications during and after the pregnancy.
- The government will also provide free transport from home to health institutions.
- There will be assured referral services with the scope of reaching health facility within one hour of any critical case emergency and Drop back from institution to home after due discharge (minimum 48 hrs).
- Under the scheme, the pregnant women will have a zero expense delivery and C-section facility in case of complications at public health facilities
