Registration of pregnancies to become Mandatory: If you are pregnant, you will have to soon declare it to the State Government.Tamil Nadu is having a plan to make it mandatory for all pregnant women to register themselves with the health department. The primary motive behind this is to make sure the birth of the child happens safely. Those who deny registering the pregnancy will not get to register the childbirth and hence they will not get a birth certificate for the child.
By July, once the scheme is implemented, women will also be allowed to register by calling a non emergency medical number, 102, or through a private hospital. “It’s an ambitious project that attempts to bring down maternal and infant mortality rates by keeping a tab on every pregnant woman in the state,” said Health Secretary J. Radhakrishnan.
The registration will help the health department to track the expectant mothers’ medical records to send them reminders for doctor’s visits and warn them about anemia, diabetes and hypertension.
More than 60% of deliveries in Tamil Nadu take place in the government hospitals and so women delivering at private hospitals remain out of the government’s information net.
“When women move places for delivery, we want to make sure health care providers at the new place have adequate information about the expectant mother. Information usually reaches district headquarters only when it audits maternal death. The new platform keeps everyone informed,” said a senior doctor who is working on the project.
This will help the State to get information on the number of pregnancies, reasons for termination of pregnancy and all other required information.
