All Pregnant Women In This State Will Get Free Ultrasound, Free Breakfast At Community Health Centres

In an excellent example of public-private partnership mode, the government of Uttar Pradesh will provide free ultrasound facility to pregnant ladies of the state.

The service will be provided at all community health centres or CHCs across the state under the Prime Minister’s Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, acronymed as PMSMA.

According to a recent press release by the state government, the deputy chief minister and health minister of Uttar Pradesh, Brajesh Pathak informed that free ultrasound facility as well as breakfasts will be provided to pregnant ladies who come for check-ups at CHCs across the state.

The said PM programme will be an exercise practised on a monthly basis, which shall focus on extending comprehensive and quality antenatal care to all pregnant ladies.

Public-Private Partnerships

For this purpose, the government programme, National Health Mission has made and set defined budgetary provisions.

The state health minister Brajesh Pathak said that the ultrasound facility will begin under the ‘public-private-partnership’ mode at health centres across the state that lack ultrasound facility.

In order to ensure that pregnant women do not remain hungry while waiting to see the doctor or while waiting for the ultrasound, under the PMSMA programme they will also be provided with breakfasts.

“Women commonly have a habit of not eating well particularly while going out as they fail to assess how long it can take to return back. If breakfast is served at the health centre, it will ensure their nutritional needs are met for the day, when they come for check-up,” said the senior gynaecologist at SC Trivedi Memorial Trust Hospital, Dr Amita Shukla.

The press release noted that Prime Minister’s Safe Motherhood Campaign Day is observed on the 24th day of every month in the community and other health units.

Further, the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan envisages to improve the quality and coverage of Antenatal Care, including diagnostics and counselling services as part of the Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) strategy, stated reports.

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