Punita Nagar-Vaidya
A special effort has been undertaken by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). Its efforts have led to the launch of a delivery app 'Safe Delivery' to ensure safe birth of babies and health of mothers in India. With the help of this app, an attempt is made to make midwives (dayans) more efficient and equipped to help with home delivery. According to statistics, around 3 lakh women and 24 lakh newborns die every year due to pregnancy-related complications. Developed with the support of UNFPA, this app provides all information related to maternal and child care through video content. This app can be used even in remote areas with low connectivity i.e. without internet. The app was launched in 2015 by the international non-governmental organization Maternity Foundation and has now been expanded. . The platform is a free training platform for midwives and other health workers in under-resourced areas. It provides users with animated videos, information on practical procedures and other features to deal with childbirth and its related complications. With the help of UNFPA, the United Nations Health and Reproductive Agency and partners, this special app has now reached 435,000 people in 70 countries. The platform also provides training on prenatal mental health, an issue of great importance for the overall health of the mother and child. New feature through the project A new feature has been added to increase the reach of this platform and make it more useful. Neuvo Inc. to provide easy access to information in real time. A new AI-powered conversational smartbot named NeMa is being tested in the country by This smartbot will help midwives with delivery difficulties and provide them with proper guidance.
Home delivery in many states is 0% In India organization delivery i.e. delivery done in hospital or nursing home is more trusted and due to this organizational delivery rate is 100% in many states. This directly means that the home delivery rate in these states is 0 percent. However, home delivery is more prevalent in some states of the country. According to the health ministry data, three states including Telangana and Tamil Nadu and two Union Territories registered 100 per cent organized deliveries in 2021-22, while nine states including Karnataka, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra had more than 99 per cent births in hospitals or nursing homes. Puducherry and Lakshadweep are the two union territories that saw hundred percent organization delivery in the same period. In fact, if the option of home delivery is chosen, the important issues during childbirth are hygiene, nutrition and comfort. In most cases new mothers get these facilities better in hospitals and clinics than at home due to which they do not face any other problems after childbirth.
States Organized Delivery (2021-22) Tamil Nadu 100 percent Telangana 100 percent Goa 100 percent Lakshadweep 100 percent Karnataka 99.9 percent Kerala 99.9 percent Andhra Pradesh 99.9 percent Gujarat 99.8 percent Dadra and Nagar 99.6 percent Haveli and Daman and Diu Sikkim 99.5 percent Maharashtra 99.4 percent Punjab 99 percent All India 95.5 percent
Before using the 'Safe Delivery' app facilitated by UNFPA, a helper for mothers, check whether it is supported or not. Inappropriate information from inappropriate apps can cause harm. It is mandatory and necessary to take professional help with this app.
Meghalaya tops in home delivery
The volume of home delivery in India is significant. According to HMIS (Health Management Information System) statistics, 1067470 home deliveries were recorded in India in 2020-21 and 922637 in 2021-22. A report by HMIS states that 'home delivery of mothers without skilled care at birth is a major public health problem. Maternal mortality is a serious public health problem for which home delivery without skilled care is a significant contributing factor.'
State Home Delivery (2021-22) Meghalaya 42.8 percent Nagaland 21.7 percent Manipur 19.4 percent Bihar 13.3 percent Uttarakhand 11.5 percent Mizoram 12.8 percent Assam 8.7 percent Uttar Pradesh 8.8 percent Arunachal Pradesh 9.4 percent Himachal Pradesh 7.3 percent Tripura 5.4 percent Jammu and Kashmir 5.1 percent Delhi 4.7 percent All India 4.5 percent
What if it happens to be delivered at home? Be very careful…
Home deliveries are generally not considered safe. But if you are forced to deliver at home because there is no hospital or health center nearby, there are some special things to keep in mind. Do not take the risk of delivering by yourself or with the help of a family member by looking at any app or online information. Take the help of a professional midwife or doctor during this delivery. The risk of infection is highest during home delivery. Necessary equipment and medicines are not available at home. A woman giving birth at home or a local midwife delivers without wearing gloves. This can put both mother and baby at risk of infection. Along with this, the possibility of bleeding may also increase. Be careful not to do this. After delivery, the mother faces other problems including excessive bleeding and weakness. All these problems can be treated in the hospital, but this is not possible at home. In this condition, the mother's health starts to deteriorate. If you are choosing to have a home birth, stay in touch with your doctor.
Image Credit: (Divya-Bhaskar): Images/graphics belong to (Divya-Bhaskar).
