PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Sept 9: Tata Steel Foundation gifted a newly constructed birth waiting home (also known as Prasuti Pratikshalaya) in East Singhbhum’s Dumaria block.
The new facility for expectant mothers in that remote block was inaugurated by Bidyut Baran Mahato, Jamshedpur MP on Friday.
Tabled under the MANSI initiative, which aims to reduce preventable deaths among mothers, neonates, infants, and under-5 children by 50%, the birth waiting home will help expectant mothers coming from hard-to-reach areas with timely assistance and delivery.
The efforts of MANSI penetrate deep into the hard-to-reach areas, where health issues are acute, and government primary healthcare institute is almost 25-30kms away.
The new birth waiting home is expected to directly benefit 2000 people and indirectly 10,000 people in the remote corners of the communities.
Speaking on the occasion, Sourav Roy, Chief Executive Officer, Tata Steel Foundation said, “The Prasuti Pratikshalaya reaffirms our commitment to maternal and child healthcare, through our flagship initiative MANSI+, which aims to reduce mortality rates among mothers and infants in the Kolhan region. Our dedicated team of frontline workers and healthcare practitioners are working round the clock to take basic healthcare facilities to hard-to-reach areas across Jharkhand and Odisha. And, these institutions of public health are built on the trust that communities have given us as we are focused on promoting health-seeking behaviour in rural areas. Through the construction of these public buildings for healthcare, we hope to raise awareness on the benefits of institutional deliveries, in a controlled environment, where medical attention is readily available.”
The new birth waiting hall is the third Prasuti Pratikshalaya, built in the Kolhan region, enabled by Tata Steel Foundation and its partners.
The goal of the project is to improve the quality of maternal health services for the rural community through the provision of accommodation, medicines, and food for the expectant mothers.
In this pratikshalaya the expectant mothers can wait until the referral of the concerned doctor to the nearby Community Healthcare Centre (CHC) for delivery and if necessary, after the delivery they can return to the pratikshalaya for the necessary guidance and supervision.
