Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA)

The PM Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan is an initiative launched by the Indian government to provide comprehensive healthcare benefits to pregnant women in the last 6 months of their pregnancy. Government healthcare centres across the country are authorised and required to implement the PMSMA. This includes primary health centres, community health facilities and medical college hospitals. Additionally, urban dispensaries and maternity homes are also authorised to do so.

Goal & Objectives of PMSMA Scheme

Goal of PMSMA Scheme 

As part of the Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent (RMNCH+A) health strategy, the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) aims to increase the quality and coverage of antenatal care (ANC) and includes diagnostics and counselling services.

Objectives of PMSMA Scheme

The objective of PMSMA scheme are:

1. To ensure that every pregnant woman in the second or third trimester receives at least one prenatal checkup from a doctor or specialist.

 

2. To enhance the standard of care provided during prenatal visits. This entails ensuring that the following services are offered:

• Necessary diagnostic service 

• Detecting the relevant clinical conditions

• Appropriately managing any clinical disease that is already present

• Appropriate counselling services and accurate records of the services provided

• Providing additional services to expectant mothers who have missed antenatal appointments

3. To identify high-risk pregnancies and prioritise based on medical history and existing clinical problems.

 

4. Adequate birth planning and preparation for all pregnant women, particularly those with any risk factor or comorbid ailment.

 

5. Special emphasis on early identification and proper and suitable care of malnourished women.

 

6. To provide special attention to adolescents and early pregnancies since they require extra and specialised care.

Features Of PM Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan 

Here are the features of this plan. 

• The PMSMA is founded on the idea that if every pregnant woman in India had a doctor's examination, an adequate investigation, and then an acceptable follow-up, the number of maternal and newborn mortality in India may be reduced.

• In order to complement the efforts of the public sector, antenatal checkup services would be offered by radiologists, obstetrician-gynaecologists, and physicians with assistance from private sector physicians.

• In addition to the regular ANC at the health facility/outreach, the recipients would get a minimal package of prenatal care services (including examinations and medications) on the ninth day of each month at designated public health facilities in both urban and rural regions.

• It is planned to give all pregnant women visiting PMSMA clinics a minimal package of examinations (including one ultrasound during the second trimester of pregnancy) and medications such as calcium supplements, IFA supplements, etc. using the principles of a single window system.

• While all pregnant women would be included in the target population, further attempts would be made to connect to high-risk pregnant women, women who have not registered for ANC (left out/missed ANC), and women who have registered but have not used ANC services (dropout).

• Radiologists, obstetrician-gynaecologists and physicians from the private sector would be invited to volunteer their services at public health institutions if there are insufficient or no government sector practitioners.

• Mother and Child Protection Cards and brochures on safe parenthood will be handed to expectant mothers.

• The diagnosis and monitoring of high-risk pregnancies are one of PMSMA's crucial elements. For each visit, a sticker detailing the health and risk factors of the pregnant woman would be affixed to the MCP card, placing them in following categories:

• Green Sticker: Pregnant women with no risk factors 

• Red Sticker: Pregnant women at high risk

• To make it easier for the corporate and nonprofit sectors to become involved, a national portal for PMSMA and a mobile application have been created.

• The "IPledgeFor9" Achievers Awards were created to recognise volunteer work for PMSMA in states and districts throughout India and to honour individual and team accomplishments.

Public Health Facilities that can Implement this Campaign

Government health insurance centres that are authorised to partner and implement the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan in both rural and urban areas are as under:

Provision of Services Under PMSMA

A beneficiary is first registered under the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan at the facility, followed by routine lab investigation, the reports of which are handed over to them for a meeting with the gynaecologist. Here are a few services that are provided to a registered beneficiary under the PMSMA scheme:

• Sharing the beneficiary’s medical history along with routine examinations including blood pressure, foetal heart sound, abdominal scan, etc. to detect any complications or risks during the pregnancy.

• Samples for specific investigation requested by a beneficiary visiting a public health centre will be collected and transported to the appropriate location by the ANM for testing. The ANM will also stay in touch with them and inform them about the results of the tests conducted.

• A medical officer will also examine every PM Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan beneficiary. Women with high-risk pregnancies can be treated by either the obstetrician or gynaecologist present or be referred to higher facilities by providing them with referral slips that mention the diagnosis and treatment.

• Each woman can undergo one ultrasound during her pregnancy, including expenses towards ultrasonogram services, if required, to be made under a PPP (Public-Private Partnership) mode.

• Each woman is issued an MCP card with information about her condition and risk factors through colour-coordinated stickers. Green indicates no risks, red is for high-risk pregnancies, blue for hypertension due to pregnancy and yellow for those with comorbid conditions such as diabetes, etc.

• Individual or group counselling on rest, nutrition, danger signs or complications, family planning, safety, and care during pregnancy, among others, is to be provided to all women before they leave the facility.

• Pregnant women will also be provided with antenatal check-ups by OBGYN specialists/radiologists/physicians with support from private sector doctors to supplement the public sector’s efforts.

• Adolescent and early pregnancies are given special focus as these pregnancies need extra and specialised care.

Registration for Volunteer Doctors

The Government of India is encouraging obstetricians, radiologists, and physicians who are practising in the private or voluntary sectors, or even those who have retired, to register themselves under the PMSMA scheme and provide their valuable services at the government health facilities in their respective districts. Their support will help in supplementing the efforts of government doctors.

 

The volunteers of the PMSMA scheme would be expected to visit their designated government-run health facility and provide free health check-ups to pregnant women on the 9th day of every month.

 

The obstetricians, radiologists, and physicians who wish to volunteer for this program can register themselves through any of the following modes:

• Toll-free number - Call on 18001801104 to register

• SMS ‘PMSMA <Name> to 5616115

• PMSMA login portal- Register at  pmsma-app/VolunteerController/volunteerRegistration

• Register using the ‘Volunteer Registration’ Section of the PMSMA Mobile Application

Prerequisites to be Followed by Facilities Organising PMSMA

Hospitals and other public health facilities functioning as PM Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan centres should have arrangements for conducting various diagnostic tests as well as requisite staff and medical supplies such as:

• Medical staff: ANM or GNM, BEmOC trained Medical Officer, lab technician, pharmacist, ANM or SN trained in counselling, Sonologist or Radiologist for USG Lab Investigations.

• Diagnostic capability: Facility to conduct tests for haemoglobin, urine albumin and sugar, blood sugar (dipstick), malaria, VDRL, HIV etc.

• Drugs: Iron and folic acid, paracetamol, chloroquine, folic acid(400mg), Cal(500mg) and VitD3, Albendazole, Methyldopa, Labetalol tablets, antibiotics such as Ampicillin, Metronidazole, Amoxicillin, Trimethoprim & Cotrimoxazole, Dexamethasone injection, Labetalol injection.

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