Janani
Surakska Yojana Helpline
A
Public Private Partnership
initiative of Regional
Resource Centre-VHAI with
support from National
Rural Health Mission,
Government Of Rajasthan
and UNICEF
Janani
Suraksha Yojana Helpline
in Rajasthan is an innovative,
joint initiative of RRC-VHAI
and the National
Rural Health Mission,
Rajasthan, in
partnership with the Government
and selected NGOs of the
state, most of who are
MNGOs and FNGOs of RRC-VHAI.
An MOU has been signed
between the State Mission
Director, NRHM, Rajasthan
and RRC-VHAI to coordinate
the work of 28 Help lines
in the State. The project
is also supported by Unicef
and BSNL. RRC-VHAI would
function as the nodal
agency for the overall
coordination and Rajasthan
Voluntary Health Association
would function as a State
Resource Center cum Divisional
State Center at Jaipur.
Under this initiative,
28 local NGOs of Rajasthan
will operate at the selected
Blocks in 28 districts
of Rajasthan. There would
be 5-6 field level workers
in every block entitled
to a mobile phone each.
The JSY Helpline will
function from the respective
CHCs of the selected blocks.
A JSY Helpline number
is being provided by BSNL,
along with 178 mobile
hand sets for field facilitators
and other workers under
the project.
As a preparatory phase
for the launch of the
project in Rajasthan in
mid November, 2006, a
2 day JSY Helpline
Orientation Workshop
was held at State Institute
of Health and Family Welfare,
Jaipur in October, 2006.
The first day of the workshop
was on the implementation
of the project for the
local NGOs who are involved
in the project, on doing
the resource mapping of
their respective villages,
and on writing the project
proposal along with the
budget allocated for the
project. The second day
of the workshop involved
the District Program Managers
and the CHC in charges
so as to provide an open
platform for further clarification,
discussion and cooperation
among them and the concerned
NGOs.
Alongside, various Capacity
Building Workshops
have been organized for
the field facilitators.
The 2 days workshop included
the concept of JSY Helpline
and its main role, on
operating the Helpline,
experiences and field
realities in running the
JSY Helpline project at
Bari and Emergency Obstetric
Care. The participants
were briefed on the kind
of information to be collected
at the Helpline and the
block level, filling of
various reporting formats
and the resource mapping
format. The roles and
responsibilities of the
field facilitators were
also made clear in the
workshops.
About the Janani
Suraksha Yojana Helpline
Rajasthan ranks second
in the country in Maternal
Mortality where Janani
Suraksha Yojana has not
been particularly very
effective in the last
few years. The scheme
aimed to reduce overall
maternal mortality ratio
and infant mortality rate;
and to increase institutional
deliveries in BPL families.
But Poor infrastructure
at the CHCs and District
Health Hospitals, absence
of referral systems, low
literacy and lack of trained
man power at the grass
root level, traditional
beliefs and diverse social
& geographical conditions
are some of the reasons
for its failure. The three
delay points - deciding
to seek health care, reaching
the health center
and availing the
services at the health
center have also
spelt doom for women in
obstetric emergencies
all over.
The JSY Helpline
aims at promoting prompt
emergency referral and
ensuring safe delivery
of women with obstetric
emergencies at the health
facility, thereby contributing
to reduction of maternal
mortality by directly
tackling the three delay
points. This will be achieved
by establishing 28
JSY Help lines in the
selected blocks of the
28 Districts of Rajasthan.
This Helpline is a replica
of the Maternal Health
Initiatives at the Bari
village in Dholpur District
of Rajasthan, where a
24 hours helpline service
was set up with the support
of UNICEF.
The JSY Helpline is a
24/7 service
which people can avail
of via a BSNL
JSY Helpline number and
178 free mobile phones
for the field. This would
address the first delay
where people take a long
time to seek health care
due to the inconvenience
caused at reaching the
health center and finding
no staff and doctors there.
The JSY Helpline would
ensure that the CHCs arrange
staff and the required
equipments by the time
the patients come in.
The Helpline also focuses
on a strong referral service
for women with obstetric
emergencies. Towards this
purpose, all the vehicles
and transport facilities
in the respective villages
would be identified and
registered. In cases of
emergencies and when pregnant
mothers need to be taken
to the health centers,
the referral service would
be readily available.
This would address the
second delay point. Thus,
a strong network would
be built among the vehicle
owners, people with access
to telephones and cell
phones, the ANMs ands
ASHAs under this project.
This would ensure that
the doctors and the staff
are present at the CHC
thereby tackling the third
point of delay. A lot
of emphasis would be given
on the involvement and
support of the local people
to make this project a
success.
The JSY Helpline is a
new and challenging project
and we seek your cooperation
and support in this endeavor
of reducing the Maternal
Mortality Rate of the
State of Rajasthan.
Only a prospective mother
knows what it is to carry.
The onlookers notice her
illness and pity her.
But she alone knows the
travail.
– Mahatma Gandhi
|
