"To intervene in existing child and maternal mortality rates, we have adopted different measures including assisting women at delivery," focal person of Safe Motherhood Program Dr Silu Aryal said. Appointment of auxiliary nurses and midwives is one such measure. All SLC graduates MCHW will get skill birth attendance training, Dr Aryal said. [break]
The Ministry of Health and Population (MoPH) has already launched free child delivery services in public hospitals and health centers.
According to the Family Health Division (FHD), which is under the Department of Health Services, all Maternal Child Health Workers (MCHW) in government health centers will receive training in carrying out the duties of auxiliary nurse and midwife. FDH said that 1,925 MCHW had already received training.
She said that the duration of the government-sponsored training would be one-and-half years. To provide safe delivery services through the health institutions, the government has also started to provide transport allowances to post-natal women.
Unavailability of trained health workers particularly in remote villages is the main challenge to provide safe maternity services. The government is planning to start child delivery services at all primary health centers, health posts and sub-health posts. Hundreds of VDCs across the country are appointing auxiliary nurses and midwives from their own budget to provide safe maternity service, Dr Aryal said.
Dr Aryal said the government is adopting different measures to achieve the millennium development goal. The Ministry of Health and Population (MoPH) has committed to bring maternal mortality rate to 134 in every 100,000 deliveries by 2015.
More than 71 percent women give birth at home without the help of skilled attendants.
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