Virudhunagar HUD gets distinction of registering zero maternal deaths in one year
In a first in the State, Virudhunagar Health Unit District has achieved the distinction of reporting zero maternal mortality while recording 7,991 live deliveries for a whole year between April 2023 and March 2024.
The HUD comprising 22 Primary Health Centres had reported six maternal deaths in the previous year.
“Apparently, this is for the first time, a HUD has recorded this feat in the State,” said M. Pitchaikali, Chief Civil Surgeon, and District Mentor of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.
She attributed the success to a team effort, including that of health officials from Primary Health Centres (PHC), government hospitals, tertiary care hospital and private doctors.
After registration of each pregnant mother with the PHCs, the village health nurses keep following them.
The high risk mothers with diabetes, blood pressure, anaemia, thyroid and other complications are followed at tertiary hospitals. “If a mother is anaemic, efforts are taken to increase the haemoglobin level at the earliest. Similar is the case with other complications, so that the risk level is reduced,” she added.
T. S. Selvavinayagam, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said the team ensured that every pregnant woman is monitored irrespective of whether high risk or not and the antenatal care services were taken care of.
“They had a network that included government health facilities such as primary health centres and government medical college hospital and private hospitals. They could track a pregnant woman moving from one institution to another in case of complications,” he said.
“When any pregnant mother with some complication is referred from PHC to medical college hospital, the details are sent through WhatsApp along with the health report. This helps the doctors at tertiary care hospital to be prepared to receive the patient and start the right treatment at the earliest,” Dr. Pitchaikali added.
The doctors have ensured that all the diagnosis including scan, ECG are taken without any delay. The doctors of private hospitals have been counselled to not admit high risk cases, in the absence of required healthcare infrastructure in their centre, and instead refer patients early to higher institutions.
Similarly, the village health nurses keep tracking the registered pregnant mothers and bring them to hospitals even if they try to avoid visiting secondary or tertiary hospitals.
The key lesson lies in addressing their nutrition and positive behaviour in getting antenatal care. Proper quality antenatal care is vital, Dr. Selvavinayagam said. The HUD team also started to address anaemia in adolescent girls, he added.
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