STATUS OF MATERNAL HEALTH AND ITS SERVICES IN GUJARAT: SOME OBSERVATIONS

Abstract

Gujarat state has come a long way in improving the health indicators since independence. The Gujarat Government has taken several initiatives to improve maternal health services, for instance -short training of medical officers and nurses to provide emergency obstetric care, partnership with private obstetricians to provide delivery care to poor women and an improved emergency transport system. Major policy and programme with reference to maternal health also discussed in the paper.Cheeranjivi Scheme and Janani Suraksha Yojana successfully implemented in the state. Comparative analysis of health indicator in Gujarat and India has also been discussed. This paper tries to explore the intervention of Government of Gujarat for up scaling the status of maternal health service. There are certain challenges has to deal with and they are shortage of human resource, lack of infrastructure and equipments and evidence based intervention for reduction in maternal mortality.