India spends over 2% of its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) on its core safety net programs. Although there are pockets of good performance and pathbreaking program and design, the overall returns to spending in terms of poverty and improvement in livelihoods of the vulnerable have not reached their full potential.
In Madhya Pradesh (MP), one of the states in Central India, there are many health concerns faced by the communities, including malaria, viral fever, common fever, cold and cough and other common ailments. In many areas in MP, access to health and doctor is very limited, with very few villagers registered under social security schemes.
Among the many interventions conducted by Environics Trust (ET) in MP, is the free distribution of sanitary napkins in Primary Health Centres (PHC). Accredited Social Health Activist (Asha) workers are advised to keep monthly records of patients and
diseases at the village level and then submit to hospital regularly.
Scrutiny of records revealed that comparatively women fall sicker than men. Female and children suffer doubly – multiple diseases and malnutrition. Generally, government hospitals are located quite far away from villages. Among the list of schemes implemented in the state of Madhya Pradesh, ET focused on the 3 social protection schemes being implemented.
First is the Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel Nishulk Aushadhi Vitran Yojana (Free Drug for All scheme), which was launched in 2012. The main objective of the scheme was to guarantee the availability of minimum essential drugs free of cost to all patients across all the 10,640 public health facilities of the state.
Second is Janani Suraksha Yojana. The scheme ensures safe delivery of babies, ultimately aimed towards the reduction of maternity and mortality rate. Under Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) the government provides cash incentive for pregnant mothers to have institutional births as well as pre- and ante-natal care. Transport is made available to pregnant women under ‘Parivahan Yojana’.
And third scheme is the Mukhya Mantri Shramik Sewa Prasuti Sahayata Yojna. If a registered unorganized labour woman cannot go to work during pregnancy, then she remains unpaid. Hence some women leave their job during pregnancy and in such cases government compensate/reimburse them in order to reduce their financial suffering.
For taking advantage of this scheme, each pregnant women is given INR 16,000 into two instalments. The first instalment of INR 4000 is given for the last three months of pregnancy during the pre-delivery prenatal check by the doctor or Auxiliary Nurse Midwifery (ANAM). The second instalment of INR 12,000 will be given at the government hospital, after the institutional
birth of the new-born. Subsequently, the infant is also entitled for the Zero Doz, BCG (For Tuberculosis), OPV -zero dose (Oral Polio Vaccine in 3/7 days after birth) and Hepatitis B Vaccination.
Since ET is successfully operating a sanitary making unit in Delhi, there is an effort to introduce in other districts of MP and UP as a livelihood opportunity. A training programme at different places was conducted about making of sanitary napkin and its utility in rural areas. As a part of awareness generation, sanitary napkins made in Delhi’s unit were also distributed in different villages and schools. Practically everywhere groups showed their keen interest in setting up such units in their respective villages.
Environics trust plans to further make a comparative work of all the health schemes being implemented throughout the country. As we are mainly focusing on the status of women’s health and social protection, we aim to make people especially women aware about their own benefits and how they can get access to it
Author – Shefali Sharan, (December 4, 2018)
Note – The article was published in the Asian Rountable on Social Protection Network Newsletter December 2018. The Newsletter can be read by Clicking Here
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