National policy should focus on maternal health: Docs

Tribune News Service
Ludhiana, April 11

The Indian Medical Association’s women’s doctor wing (WDW) in association with SPS Hospitals, Ludhian, celebrated “Safe Motherhood Day”. In the event, all aspects of safe motherhood were discussed.

Every year in India, 30 million woman experience pregnancy and about 26 million give live births, with an estimated 45,000 deaths per year.

IMA president Dr PS Jassal, “It is very important that our national policies should be more focused on maternal health. Our aim is to increase the health safety of a pregnant female at primary, secondary and tertiary care levels.”

Dr Prabhu, MS, SPS Hospitals, committed to create more opportunities for trained doctors working at primary centres to handle an emergency.

Dr Kumkum Avasthi, senior consultant, SPS Hospitals, said formal and non-formal health education to general public was an integral part of safe motherhood. He said, “Early registration to the ANC clinics as soon as pregnancy is suspected is the key for best outcome.”

Dr Saroj Aggarawal, president, WDW, IMA said, “The aim is to let the women have safe pregnancy and deliver safely by decreasing maternal morbidity and mortality and also improving the foetal outcome.”

Dr Venus Bansal, senior consultant, SPS Hospitals shared her veiws on delivery of patient by trained personnel and emphasised that prenatal screening for high risk pregnancy and identifying the females who would be needing a tertiary health care is the need of the hour.

“In the era of well-equipped labour room, good nursery back up, worldclass ICU, blood banks and laboratories, one can save most of the mothers provided first aid is given perfectly,” he said.

Dr Manoj Sobti , Dr Bimal Kanish, Dr SS Sibia, Dr Pawan Dhingra, Dr Vikas Bansal, Dr Atima Gupta, Dr Sudesh Bassi shared their experiences.

Topics, including nutrition in females during adolescent and reproductive years, physical and mental health, vaccination in adolescents and pregnant females, and delivery by trained personnel were highlighted. Ten mothers who had survived out of their pregnancy were awarded by SPS Hospitals.