Delivery huts in rural Haryana raise institutional deliveries

Chandigarh, Oct 17 (UNI) The ambitious health projects such as the network of delivery huts in rural areas has significantly raised institutional deliveries in the State from 23 per cent in 2005 to 48 per cent at present.

The delivery huts are also helping in decreasing maternal mortality, infant mortality and morbidity rates, Financial Commissioner and Principal Secretary, Health, Urvashi Gulati said today.

The huts have been successfuly providing hygienic, woman-friendly and safe conditions for delivery within easy reach of the rural populace, Ms Gulati said.

She said that out of the targeted 500 delivery huts to be set up by the end of 2007, as many as 328 have so far been established in the State. The setting up of each such delivery hut costs about Rs one lakh.

As many as 10271 deliveries have so far been conducted in these delivery huts since the implementation of the scheme in September 2005. Out of these, nine per cent were of high risk and were referred to higher institutions.

She said that these delivery huts, equipped with necessary equipment and infrastructure to handle normal deliveries, were being set up in sub-centres and primary health centres by improving the existing infrastructure.

Referral transport system has also been provided for these delivery huts and funds for the same have been allocated to the Auxillary Nursing Midwives (ANM) to transport difficult or high risk cases of deliveries to higher institutions. She said that the babies delivered in these huts were administered BCG and Polio vaccines and issued birth certificates.

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