By Md Aynal Haque

RAJSHAHI, Sept 29, 2022 (BSS) - Couples along with their nearest ones have started getting knowledge about maternal an  d neonatal health together with the aspects of institutional delivery for safe motherhood in the region.

Through organizing couples gatherings, they are being given ideas related to the importance of antenatal care (ANC), postnatal care (PNC), institutional delivery, normal vaginal delivery (NVD), routine checkup during pregnancy and neonatal health.

On Tuesday last, a couples gathering was organized at Shironti Union Health and Family Welfare Centre (UH&FWC) under Shapaher Upazila in Naogaon district for the first time in the region.

Around 13 couples and 45 others, including 14 females, attended the event gathering knowledge about improvement of maternal, neonatal and child health.

Shironti Union Parishad Chairman Borhan Uddin told BSS that the couples' gathering was organized on behalf of the Public Health Improvement Initiative Rajshahi (PHIIR) Project.

In the gathering, Nadira Banu, Family Welfare Visitor (FWV), disseminated the issue of total maternal process among the participating couple's about the aspects of ANC, PNC, NVD and institutional delivery.

She also advised the expectant mothers for normal delivery at their facility expressing her commitment of extending all sorts of necessary support to them.

DASCOH Foundation has been implementing the PHIIR project in five upazila health complexes, 42 UH&FWCs and 110 Community Clinics under Bagmara, Charghat and Tanore Upazilas in Rajshahi and Porsha and Sapahar Upazilas in Naogaon districts for the last couple of years.
 
The project is intended to improve the health status of the targeted population with special focus on maternal, neonatal and child health at primary health care level.

Shiranti UH&FWC, around five-kilometer off the upazila health complex which is the nearest higher referral center for getting comparatively better services, is assigned to provide primary healthcare services to around 29,078 population.
Dr Shahnaz Parvin, Project Officer (Health) of DASCOH Foundation, said they have taken various types of promotional activities at the grassroots for ensuring institutional delivery besides improving maternal, neonatal and child health in their project area.
 
Protecting maternal, neonatal and child health, particularly at the rural and village level, can be the crucial means of building a healthy nation.
 
"We have set a target to arrange 80 fertile couples' gatherings aimed at creating mass-awareness about maternal and neonatal health," she added.

Different other demand-driven programmes, including mothers gathering, use of loudspeaker, home visit and leaflets and poster distribution, are being conducted in the rural areas to attain the cherished goals.

Various issues related to ANC, PNC and neonatal services, birth preparedness plan, NVD services, danger signs during pregnancy and after delivery services were discussed in the couple gathering elaborately.

Elaborating the aspects of NVD Dr Shahnaz Parvin said normal delivery is at least nine times beneficial compared to cesarean section. All major surgeries carry risks of bad reaction to the anesthesia, infection, hemorrhaging and blood clots.
 
She clarified that there are also additional risks with a cesarean, such as inflammation of the uterus, surgical injury to the bowel or bladder and amniotic fluid embolism particularly when amniotic fluid enters the mother's bloodstream and can cause a serious reaction.

PHIIR Project Manager Tozammel Haque said the present government has given utmost emphasis on institutional delivery side by side with ensuring (ANC, PNC and neonatal care to achieve the SDG-3 through bringing down maternal and newborn death to the stipulated figures by 2030.

He opined they are working relentlessly to supplement the government endeavor.
 
As part of their efforts, many of the community and union level health facilities were reactivated through appointing FWVs on priority basis so that the grassroots people, particularly the marginalized and low-income sections, can derive total benefits of those.