PHA-Exchange> JSA meeting

[chetna]

Dear Sarojini  (SAMA),

 

Greetings from CHETNA!

 

I hope this mail finds you hale and healthy. I participated in the JSA meeting with a hope of meeting you. However, it was nice talking to Deepa and she informed me that you have not received my mails.  Hence this fresh email.

 

I am writing to you so as to bring the issue of stagnant maternal mortality rates in India and denial of women's access to health services during pregnancy and childbirth.  In India, every minute one woman dies due to pregnancy and childbirth related causes and for every woman that dies, 20 women suffer from some sort of pregnancy-childbirth related morbidities.  Ironically, most of these deaths are preventable by timely access to health services.

 

This is despite the policy focus on reduction of Maternal Mortality (MDGS, ICPD, BPFA, Population policy, women's empowerment policy and the National Rural Health Mission) and the programme commitment to provide services (including education and counselling) from the public health system.

 

We have recently done an assessment of women's access to services in Gujarat and Rajasthan states with the help of 10 partners and results indicate a low awareness in women about their entitlements, ANC being narrowed down to receipt of TT injections, deliveries largely at home or in the private sector, and   there is a cost to women to access care.

 

Homebirths are a reality in most rural areas and a large percentage of this birth are assisted by dais. However, the present policy is inclined towards skilled birth attendants and institutional delivery to be able to save mother's lives. I firmly believe that Dai`s have the skills to facilitate normal births and need support to identify and refer complications. This is negation of poor, rural women's skills, which they have acquired them through years of observation and practice.

 

We have been raising this issue in the PHA-I, in the sate IWHM-PHA process and at the regional and international level- with Dr. Ravi Narayan, Dr. Mira Shiva, Dr, Zafarualla Chowdhry, Ms. Maria and a host of other JSA linked people and organisationa.

 

We have been in touch with you along with SAHAYOG regarding this issue at the national and south Asia level.

I therefore urge you to:

1. Facilitate the issue at the PHA-2.  We are interested in participating in the PHA-2 and discuss the issue of Stagnant Maternal Mortality Rates and the lack of emphasis on community based interventions.  You may like to link us up with the PHA-2 process on this issue.

2. Facilitate the issue at the national level- this could be in terms of our inclusion in the group working on women's health that you are convening. (Ref: Minutes of the national coordination committee meeting) 

3. Apart from the above two, I think we need another group on discussing traditional/alternative/Indigenous/AYUSH systems.

 

I have discussed this issue with Dr. Abhay Shukla and in principle he agreed that the issue falls within the realm of women's access to services and has also asked me to talk to you.

 

I understand you are tied up with a lot of responsibilities but at the same time I do not want to wait for PHA-3.

 

Looking forward to hearing from you.

With warm regards,

Vd. Smita Bajpai

Coordinator (THP)

CHETNA-WHDRC
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CHETNA
Lilavatiben Lalbhai's Bungalow, Civil Camp Road, Shahibaug, Ahmedabad-380004, Gujarat, India; Phone: (079) 22866695, 22865636; Fax: (079) 22866513
Email: chetna at icenet.net; website: www.chetnaindia.org
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