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Nirmala George
NEW DELHI, Dec 1: With maternal mortality rates in the country amongst the highest in the world, a worried Health Ministry has chalked out an ambitious scheme involving one lakh young girl animators to go canvas about maternal health and hygiene.
The girls, all between the ages of 18 and 21, will first be trained in all matters concerning health, family planning and contraceptive methods, nutrition and hygiene. Once trained in the basics of health and hygiene, the girls will be given charge of six local villages each. Their job: to visit each village, get to know the local people, build a rapport with them and become their adviser-friend on all matters concerning family welfare.
"The idea is that the people will be more receptive to advice and more willing to discuss these issues more freely with someone from their own community and speaking their own language. Someone who knows their customs and traditions", says an enthusiastic Union Health Minister Dalit Ezhilamalai.
The Minister said he has spokento the Prime Minister about the proposal and has also approached the Deputy Chairman of the Planning Commission for additional funds for the scheme. "But if funds are not forthcoming, we could also examine the possibilities of external aid for the scheme", Ezhilmalai told The Indian Express.
According to the Minister's plan each of the girls will be given the responsibility of six villages nearest to her home. With a one-lakh strong brigade six lakh villages would be covered under the scheme. And if even the scheme meets with a success rate of 50 per cent, then it can be considered a major step in the efforts to reduce maternal mortality, he said.
The girls, who will be paid a monthly stipend of Rs 3,000, a substantial amount in many villages, have to give an undertaking that they will not get married before they reach the age of 21 years. Additionally, they will be given an attractive lumpsum of cash at the time of their marriage.
Ever since statistics began to be collected about maternalmortality rates (MMR) in India, social demographers and health officials have been alarmed by the high incidence of women who die while giving birth or immediately afterwards from such causes as anaemia, infections, or excessive bleeding.
Many of these deaths can be avoided by observing basic health and hygiene regimes, which the one lakh army of girls is expected to inform villagers about.
A National Family Health Survey conducted in 1992-93 revealed that the maternal mortality rate in India is 4.37 per one thousand live births. What this means is that one woman died for every 200 to 250 pregnancies, a shocking revelation by any account.
The girl health workers will visit one village each day, spend the whole day there, sit with the villagers, eat with them, get to know them, visit their homes, get to know the problems of the women in particular. They will be able to talk to the women about contraceptive methods available and about spacing their children.
Copyright © 1998 Indian ExpressNewspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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This story was printed from Net Express located at http://www.expressindia.com. Net Express provides a portal to India, with news from The Indian Express and The Financial Express along with sites on travel and tourism, the entertainment industry, the power sector, the environment and much more.
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