By Mohammad Tarique Saleem
The third National Stillbirth Conference began at SGPGI on August 28, themed “Every Pregnancy Safe, Every Birth Safe.” The three-day event saw participation from over 600 ASHA workers from Lucknow and surrounding areas. On this occasion, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Health & Family Welfare Minister Brijesh Pathak attended, boosting the morale of ASHA workers. He praised their efforts, stating that during the COVID-19 period, ASHA workers worked fearlessly, proving themselves not only the strongest link in healthcare but also its backbone. Expressing slight disappointment over the absence of an invitation to the Director General of Health, Pathak emphasized that the rising maternal-infant mortality rate in the state is not just a collective responsibility but also a challenge. He urged all possible efforts to reduce this rate and assured the state government’s full support.
Direct Financial Aid to Pregnant Women Deputy Chief Minister Pathak announced that Uttar Pradesh is the first state to launch a scheme to directly transfer funds to pregnant women for ultrasound services. He explained that private ultrasound centers across the state have been identified for this purpose. ASHA workers will send a barcode to the women’s mobile numbers, enabling the transfer of ultrasound fees directly from the government to their accounts. He stressed the need to ensure Terri% institutional deliveries to reduce maternal and infant mortality rates and meet WHO standards, urging everyone to take this goal seriously.
Uttar Pradesh Has Highest Stillbirth Rate – Prof. RK Dhiman SGPGI Director Padma Shri Prof. RK Dhiman highlighted that despite improvements in healthcare, Uttar Pradesh has the highest stillbirth rate in the country, three to four times above the national average. He emphasized the need for greater responsibility to address this issue. The three-day workshop aims to train ASHA workers on reducing this rate through early interventions, particularly by improving medical checkups during pregnancy, which could significantly enhance prenatal care outcomes. Lucknow CMO Dr. NB Singh also pledged full support and shared his views during the event.
Every Two Minutes, a Mother or Child is Lost – Dr. Mandakini Pradhan The conference’s chief organizer, Dr. Mandakini Pradhan, revealed that a mother is lost every two minutes, and a child every 16 seconds, with an average of eight child deaths every two minutes. A major cause is delayed medical checkups during pregnancy. Prof. Tamkin Fatima, founder of the Stillbirth Society, advised women not to wait for pain but to visit doctors on scheduled dates to improve the chances of saving the baby. She added that the three-day workshop would educate and train ASHA workers to conduct door-to-door awareness campaigns. Dr. Nina Tandon, Dr. Asna Ashraf, and Tripti Bansal were also present to train the ASHA workers.
