KOZHIKODE: The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in association with Riddhi, a private technology solution provider, is all set to launch a ‘Mother and Child Dyad” programme for the pregnant women of Attappady within a few months.
The programme aims at providing nutritious food for pregnant women besides taking care of the entire health condition of the newborn up to the age of 5.
The programme has been envisioned in the wake of the child deaths reported in Attapady due to alleged malnutrition and poor health facilities.
The data collection and monitoring of pregnant women in the region has commenced with the help of a mobile app named ‘Janani’, developed by Riddhi. As many as 52 Junior Public Health Nurses (JPHN) go to the field and collect information on 200 health indicators.
“The most commendable feature of the programme is the post maternal care provided by the nurses. The nurses will visit the newborn on the seventh day after birth, up to 42 days”, said a top official of NRHM Palakkad office who requested anonymity.
According to NRHM data, there are 478 pregnant women under the programme, who are given due care from the day of registration.
“The programme is an offshoot of the ‘Jatak’ project that was launched in 2013 to take care of the health needs of children.
The newborn who is a part of the janani programme will automatically be transferred to ‘Jatak’ once they attain the age of two, said Maya Lakshmi, the Child development Project Officer in Palakkad.
