Call to prevent maternal & infant deaths

Bhimavaram: West Godavari district collector Chadalawada Nagarani reviewed a meeting with the medical staff and the members of the relevant committee on maternal and infant deaths at her Camp Office in the presence of the affected families.

Speaking on the occasion, the collector clarified that if a mother dies, the entire family will face a lot of difficulties, and there is a need for doctors to provide treatment with utmost vigilance to prevent maternal and infant deaths in the district.

She said that the government is spending crores of rupees for the health of mothers and children and is providing nutritious food from the time the mother conceives until the child reaches the age of five and expensive medicines to the sick free of cost.

She said that in addition to all this, the doctors and staff have the responsibility to provide medical care with supervision within a specified period. She said that it is very necessary to remember those situations while providing medical care.

“Since I took charge as the district collector, I have been reviewing the medical, health and women and child welfare departments every month and inspecting primary health centres at the field level. I have been questioning why cases of maternal and infant deaths are being registered,” she said. She said that the government has appointed so many staff to ensure that every mother and every child is healthy. “Is it not the staff’s responsibility to conduct necessary tests from the day of pregnancy, provide advice and suggestions, and ensure that they consume nutritious food? We are a district that is conscious about education, medicine, and awareness.

But how can there be maternal and infant deaths here? A total of eight maternal deaths and 88 infant deaths occurred in the district in the year 2024-25. A thorough review was conducted today on five maternal deaths and two infant deaths in the fourth quarter of 2024-25,” she said. She said that in one or two cases, there is some detachment in the process of providing treatment.

DM&HO Dr G Geetha Bai, committee members ICDS PD B Sujatha Rani, DCHS Dr M Suryanarayana, DAO Dr Deva Sudhalakshmi, Gynaecologist Dr Madhavi Kalyani, Physician Dr C Padma, Dr I Lakshmi, Deputy DMHO Dr Prasad Rao, obstetricians associated with private nursing homes, affected families, ANMs, ASHA workers, and others were present.