by Mohd Ishaq Shah
The National Safe Motherhood Day is celebrated every year on 11 April throughout India. The day commemorates the sacrifices rendered by mothers while they are in motherhood: India celebrates National Safe Motherhood Day on April 11 every year. The day marks the birth anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi, the wife of Mahatma Gandhi, and a great freedom fighter and social reformer. Observing National Safe Motherhood Day aims to promote better medical care. The day aims to reduce the maternal mortality ratio which can be caused by pregnancy or childbirth complications.
The tendency to conceive, contain, and deliver is what combined constitutes motherhood. To cradle and to handle the child is called motherhood. Once a lady is married, she begins to experience the transition from a bachelor to married, from individual to social, from personal to marital, and so on etc. After a month or two a metabolic change occurs in her physique. She starts feeling giddy and vomiting until it is conceived. Thereafter the growth of the fetus starts and some visible change occurs on the face of the mother that is some dark patches start appearing on her face as if some brown paint brush has been stroked over the face.
Motherhood passes through various stages and mothers need every care and look after while they expect the babies. Mothers need help and cooperation from other family members including males and females who happen not to be in a motherly way. They need proper medication, exercise, entertainment, and counseling. It is a common experience that when a mother conceives a baby her temperament gets badly impacted and sometimes depression overlaps her and sometimes she feels disinterested with other people. Male partners must be very careful while having sexual intercourse with their life partners in such a curial stage and they must by no means force their wives for such activities. Pregnant ladies must not be given heavy workloads and overburdened with responsibilities as it may impact their health and may result in various malfunctions like premature babies, abortion, etc. Safe motherhood is the guarantee of a safe baby and a safe baby is the guarantee of the safe future generation.
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 295,000 women die due to pregnancy-related complications each year, and 99% of these deaths occur in developing countries. In India, the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is 122 per 100,000 live births, which is still a cause of concern, despite the significant improvement in recent years. Safe Motherhood Day was established to create awareness among people about the importance of maternal health and to promote the use of safe and effective methods of childbirth. The day is observed to bring attention to the various challenges that women face during pregnancy and childbirth and to advocate for better maternal health care.
The theme of Safe Motherhood Day changes every year, and it focuses on various aspects of maternal health care. For instance, the theme for 2020 was ‘Maternal health for a better tomorrow: Equitable access to quality care for all’. The theme aimed to highlight the importance of equitable access to quality maternal healthcare services for all women, irrespective of their social, economic, or geographical backgrounds.
On this day, various events and activities are organized across the country to create awareness about maternal health. These events include health camps, awareness rallies, and seminars, among others. The day also provides an opportunity to highlight the various maternal health programs and policies implemented by the government to improve maternal health in the country. Some of the key initiatives taken by the government to improve maternal health in India include the National Health Mission, the Janani Suraksha Yojana, and the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan. The National Health Mission was launched in 2013 to provide accessible, affordable, and quality health care to all citizens, including pregnant women. The Janani Suraksha Yojana is a cash incentive scheme launched in 2005 to promote institutional deliveries among pregnant women.
The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan is another initiative launched in 2016 to provide free antenatal check-ups to pregnant women. Under this scheme, pregnant women are given a health card and are provided with free antenatal care, including ultrasound scans, blood tests, and counseling services. These initiatives have played a crucial role in improving maternal health in India, but there is still a long way to go. Apart from government initiatives, several NGOs and international organizations are also working towards improving maternal health in India. These organizations focus on providing health education, training, and support to pregnant women, and they also work to improve the quality of maternal healthcare services in the country.
The author can be mailed at ishaq7007@gmail.com
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