Unsafe deliveries on the rise in Uttarakhand
Unsafe deliveries on the rise in Uttarakhand
B.D.Kasniyal
Pithoragarh, May 18
Due to non availability of gynaecologists in the community health center of Uttarakhand, the number of child deliveries in the 108 emergency vehicles is on increase. The fact has come to light following a RTI query received by Uttarakhand Research Group, from Dehradun.
“According to the RTI reply, we received from the health department office, in 2019 -20 the number of such unsafe deliveries in the state were 465, which rose to 559 in the year 2020 – 21 and 601 in the year 2021-22,” said Shivam, coordinator of Uttarakhand Research Group, a NGO, formed by young researchers of state.
According to the information received by the group, the average per month number of unsafe deliveries is also on increase in the state.” It has risen from 42 per month in the year 2019-20 to 60 per month in the year 2021-22,” said Shivam.
According to the WHO, parameters the institutional births, or births in hospitals are safest ones, and non institutional deliveries carry a risk for the lives of mother and new born baby.” The Government of India, under National Health Mission is running programes like “Janani Suraksha Yojana” from almost a decade to promote institutional deliveries for the safety of mother and new born child,”said Shivam.
According to the information, the number of deliveries in 108 emergency ambulances was highest in the year 2021-22 as a total of 601 unsafe deliveries took place in the year. “If we look at district wise figures, the number was highest in Dehradun at 244 unsafe deliveries in the year 2021-22, and the number remained highest for the district which is also the capital of the state in last 2 years as well,” he said.
The state has a total of 167 posts of gynaecologists in all category of hospitals, out of these 74 sanctioned posts of gynaecologists are vacant at present. Out of 79 posts of gynaecologists sanctioned for community health centers, 27 are lying vacant at present in the state.”Most of the unsafe deliveries occur when cases are referred to district hospital due to vacant of post of gynaecologist in the Community Health centres (CHCs),” claimed Shivam.
