Abstract

Tridibesh Tripathy* and Prof D. R. Sahu

ABSTRACT

ASHAs were introduced in UP through NRHM in 2005, the first major task of ASHAs was to focus on maternal and child health through roll out of Janani Surakya Yojana (JSK) (Maternal Protection Scheme) to reduce Maternal Mortality Ratio and Infant Mortality Rate in the state of UP. Their primary activity was to visit homes of pregnant women. The first program in UP operated through the ASHAs was the Comprehensive Child Survival Program in 2008. Since then, tracking of all pregnancies to decipher messages on ANC and birth planning is an integral part of the work of ASHAs across the state of UP. The current study explores variables like home visits by ASHAs to one of the categories of deliveries. The two categories are the home deliveries and institutional deliveries. The safe delivery messages given by ASHAs to the category of pregnant women opting for safe deliveries are seen through to elicit any deviation, difference or focus by ASHAs in this category in four districts of UP. Further, the study sees the percentage of the ASHAs that give messages on safe delivery like on birth planning related activities that includes like identification of a clean place of delivery at home, identification of a skilled birth attendant, save money for emergency, arranging for transport and arranging for a disposable delivery kit. The pregnant women visited by each of the ASHAs in the 4 districts in their catchment area primarily gave the message for identification of a clean place for delivery. Among other messages, the messages on identification of a skilled birth attendant was the next priority. Next prioritized messages were arranging for the delivery kit followed by arranging money for emergency and transport. Few ASHAs had not given any message at all. This reflected that the focus on safe delivery messages were neither prioritized nor covered by all the ASHAs.