LaQshya Programme for
pregnant women & new born
aims at achieving tangible
results within 18 months
By InnoHEALTH Editorial Team
W
ith an aim for improving
quality of care in labor
room and maternity
operation theatres, the
Union Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare has recently announced the
launch of program ‘LaQshya’.
The Program aims at implementing
‘fast-track’ interventions for achieving
tangible results within 18 months.
Under the initiative, a multi-pronged
strategy has been adopted such as
improving infrastructure upgradation,
ensuring availability of essential
equipment,
providing
adequate
human resources, capacity building
of healthcare workers and improving
quality processes in the labour room.
Informatively, India has come a long
way in improving maternal survival as
Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has
reduced from 301 maternal deaths in
2001-03 to 167 in year 2011-13, an
impressive decline of 45% in a decade.
India is further committed to ensuring
safe motherhood to every pregnant
woman in the country.
A transformational improvement in
the quality of care around childbirth
relating to intrapartum and immediate
postpartum care shall dramatically
improve maternal and newborn
outcomes.
According to official sources, the
Program will improve quality of care
for pregnant women in labour room,
maternity operation theatre and
obstetrics Intensive Care Units (ICUs)
and High Dependency Units (HDUs).
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Volume 3 | Issue 3 | July-September 2018
LaQshya
program
is
being
implemented at all Medical College
Hospitals, District Hospitals and First
Referral Units (FRU) and Community
Health Centers (CHCs); it will benefit
every pregnant woman and newborn,
delivering in public health institutions.
‘LaQshya’ will reduce maternal and
newborn morbidity and mortality,
improve quality of care during delivery
and immediate post-partum period and
enhance satisfaction of beneficiaries
and provide Respectful Maternity Care
(RMC) to all pregnant women availing
public health facilities.
To strengthen critical care in
Obstetrics, dedicated Obstetric
ICUs at Medical College Hospital
level and Obstetric HDUs at District
Hospital are operationalized under
LaQshya program.
The Quality Improvement in labour
room and maternity OT will be
assessed through NQAS (National
Quality Assurance Standards). Every
facility achieving 70% score on NQAS
will be certified as LaQshya certified
facility.
Furthermore, branding of LaQshya
certified facilities will be done as per
the NQAS score. Facilities scoring
more than 90%, 80% and 70% will be
given Platinum, Gold and Silver badge
accordingly. Facilities achieving NQAS
certification, defined quality indicators
and 80% satisfied beneficiaries will be
provided incentive of Rs. 6 lakh, Rs. 3
lakh and Rs. 2 lakh for Medical College
Hospital, District Hospital and FRUs
respectively.