The initiative, implemented under the guidance of collector Abhilasha Abhinav, aims to make Nirmal a maternal death-free district by 2030.
Hyderabad: The Amma Rakshitha programme, which was launched in Nirmal district on December 14, 2024, has significantly reduced maternal mortality and morbidity through an end-to-end data-driven maternal healthcare model, said district health officials.
The initiative, implemented under the guidance of collector Abhilasha Abhinav, aims to make Nirmal a maternal death-free district by 2030. The district has registered 12 maternal deaths for 11,060 live births (1:922) in 2020-21, 18 for 12,191 live births (1:677) in 2021-22, seven of 10,255 live births (1:1,465) in 2022-23, four of 10,677 live births (1:2,669) in 2023-24, 13 of 10,189 live births (1:784) in 2024-25 and just three maternal deaths over 6,523 live births (1:2,899) in the first nine months of this year.
The number of normal deliveries between December 2024 and October 2025 was 1,173 and the number of C Section deliveries was 3,113.
A key feature of Amma Rakshitha is the help desk model at mother and child centre at Nirmal and area hospital, Bhainsa. Six supervisory staff monitor PHCs daily, track hemoglobin levels, ensure TIFFA scans at 20 weeks, promote antenatal exercises and coordinate referrals. Each supervisor oversees four PHCs, acting as a bridge between patients, field staff and tertiary care centers, said Abhilasha.
The district introduced advanced diagnostics, including routine TIFFA and growth scans, radiologist services, and 2D Echo tests for pregnant women to detect cardiac complications early. Telemedicine platforms enable weekly online consultations by gynecologists, reducing unnecessary referrals from remote areas. Mental health support, including psychiatric care for postpartum anxiety, depression and psychosis, has further strengthened outcomes.
Women receive iron folic acid tablets, calcium supplementation and iron sucrose injections to prevent anaemia, one of the main contributors to maternal risk. A colour-coding system (red, pink and green) is used to categorise high-risk cases for timely intervention.
Prenatal yoga sessions by AYUSH doctors and nutritional counselling using locally available foods have also been integrated into routine care, said Dr Soumya Gyane, programme officer for maternal health.
She added that there were IVF treatments for women losing lives, as one woman travels to the city and gets positive for pregnancy, others also visit the IVF centers and later face complications during conceiving naturally, age added.
The study cases include a 20-week pregnant woman (G4P3L3), who was admitted to MCH Nirmal on July 17, 2025, after a second-trimester abortion two days earlier. She presented with severe anaemia (Hb 2 g/dl) and symptoms of congestive cardiac failure. Under the Amma Rakshitha programme, she underwent an immediate 2D Echo, cardiologist consultation, and was treated aggressively with blood transfusions and cardiac care.
A woman with a history of previous Caesarean section was admitted at 37 weeks of pregnancy with multiple fibroids and a ruptured uterus, a life-threatening obstetric emergency. She was rushed for emergency laparotomy, during which a caesarean hysterectomy was performed on March 6, 2025. A male baby weighing 2.865 kg was delivered alive and healthy.
A pregnant woman at term presented on May 30, 2025, with acute abdominal pain and was diagnosed with torsion of an ovarian cyst complicating pregnancy. She was immediately taken up for a caesarean section along with an oophorectomy on the same day.
