New Delhi, June 8 (IANS) The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Monday said it will launch nationwide celebrations to commemorate 10 years of implementation of the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA).

As part of the celebrations, starting from Tuesday, awareness and outreach activities will be organised across states and Union Territories to encourage pregnant women and their families to avail the nine assured free services available under PMSMA and promote the importance of timely and quality antenatal care, an official statement said.

PMSME is among India's flagship initiatives to ensure safe pregnancy and healthy motherhood. The inaugural ceremony will be presided over by Union Health Minister JP Nadda. A special Rs 75 Commemorative Coin and a Rs 5 Postal Stamp will also be released by minister Nadda, to honour a decade of contribution from the scheme.

PMSME, operational since June 9, 2016, has transformed the maternal and neonatal healthcare ecosystem by providing free, comprehensive, and quality Antenatal Care (ANC) services to pregnant women on the 9th of every month.

Extended PMSMA strategy ensures quality antenatal care (ANC) to pregnant women, especially to high-risk pregnant (HRP) women and individual HRP tracking until a safe delivery is achieved by means of financial incentivization for the identified high-risk pregnant women and accompanying ASHA for extra 3 visits over and above the PMSMA visit.

‘LaQshya’ improves the quality of care in labour room and maternity operation theatres to ensure that pregnant women receive respectful and quality care during delivery and immediate post-partum.

Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) provides assured, dignified, respectful and quality healthcare at no cost and zero tolerance for denial of services for every pregnant woman and new-born visiting public health facilities to end all preventable maternal and newborn deaths.

Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) entitles all pregnant women delivering in public health institutions to have absolutely free and no expense delivery, including caesarean section.

—IANS

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