Prasav Sakhis to help deliver baby

Patna: Pregnant women can now enter labour rooms of state-run hospitals with a Prasav Sakhi (birth companion).

The State Health Society issued directions to all civil surgeons to identify a Prasav Sakhi from among the pregnant lady’s relatives who can accompany them from ante-natal check up (ANC) till delivery of their babies. A notification regarding this was issued by State Health Society executive director Lokesh Kumar Singh on August 2.

“As per norm, the Prasav Sakhi can be any one or two family members,” said a programme officer of the State Health Society.

“Married women who had a normal delivery themselves would be a preferred choice to be Prasav Sakhis. When pregnant ladies visit a government health facility for their antenatal care and check-up, a Prasav Sakhi would be selected from among their family members with their consent. We would train the Prasav Sakhi on dos and don’ts in the labour room, which they have to follow to ensure safe delivery of the child.”

She further said: “Birth companions can be of great help in safe delivery of babies, as they can act as mental support for the pregnant lady, usually in a state of panic in the labour room.

“The clause of choosing birth companion from the pregnant woman’s family and one who is married and had a child through normal delivery has been kept because the companion is supposed to know the pain and ordeal a normal delivery entails, so that she can handle pregnant women in the labour room more efficiently.”

In case a Prasav Sakhi is chosen and later the pregnant woman later refuses to allow her into the labour room during delivery, then her wish has to be honoured and the concerned Prasav Sakhi would not be allowed into the labour room, the official said.

“Worth mentioning here is that safe motherhood remains a challenge in the state because there are only 1,221 delivery points in Bihar against around 30 lakh deliveries taking place per year,” said a health department official on the condition of anonymity. He added: “Various factors responsible for maternal mortality in the state include lack of delivery points, lack of trained nurses and pregnant ladies being anaemic among other factors.”

Courtesy: The Telegraph