Analysis: Community Intervention for Skilled Birth Attendance in India

This report addresses the critical issue of maternal mortality in India, highlighting the high rates and the impact on healthcare expenditure. It emphasizes the importance of skilled birth attendants (SBAs) in primary health care to achieve successful deliveries and align with Sustainable Development Goal 3. The report proposes various community interventions to increase SBA utilization, including recruiting and training local community workers, providing incentives, offering health literacy programs, implementing state-subsidized transportation, and fostering collaboration between public and private healthcare providers. Supportive social policies are also recommended to provide flexibility and legal support to community workers. The conclusion calls for collective action to reduce maternal mortality and save lives.

Candidate Number : 491536
Community Intervention to improve skilled birth attendance
A serious disappointment after reviewing the recent statistics of India regarding maternal
mortality statistics. Approximately 44,000 women die due to avoidable pregnancy-related causes
in India. Assam was considered as the high maternal mortality state while Kerala was considered
as the lowest with maternal mortality rate (Unicef.in. 2020). While India has achieved ground-
breaking success in reducing maternal mortality rate in 2018, the mortality rate is consistently
higher compared to other countries (Www.who.int., 2020). In short, India is continuing to have a
high maternal mortality ratio that impacts health care expenditure. Despite the goal is to comply
with Standard Development Goals 3 of World Health Organisation which suggests to ensure
healthy lives and promote the wellbeing of all individuals, Indian statistical data suggests that it
is difficult to meet the goal. The prime reason could be lack of skilled birth attendants in primary
health care for successful delivery (Bali & Reddy, 2018). Skilled birth attendants play a
fundamental role in providing significant and essential services to women (Prepartum and
Intrapartum) and their newborn during childbirth (postpartum).

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Community intervention would prove to be effective to increase skilled birth attendance and
encourage women to deliver in authorised facilities rather than delivering at improper places
(home). A constant debate is being propelled whether empowerment and training of skilled birth
attendance would prove to be an effective intervention that will enable us to meet the target of
SDG3. In this context towards the guidance of your research group to choose appropriate
community intervention for improving skilled birth attendance. The community intervention for
improving skilled birth attendance the following measures should be taken:
· Recruiting skilled birth attendants to provide access to maternal health services. The
health promotion could be designed for skilled birth attendants in order to provide them
with the knowledge regarding maternal care, safe breastfeeding practice and referrals to
health facilities for pregnancy and pregnancy-related complications (Molina et al., 2020).
As discussed by White et al. (2016), Accelerated Training of Skilled Birth Attendants in a
Marginalized Population on the Thai-Myanmar Border was provided for improving the
birth attendance at the community intervention.
· Local community workers are should be recruited because they have a greater
understanding of the community and are aware of the local needs of the community. It
will encourage them to involve in the maternal facilities and provide the best possible
care. Providing trainings and workshops regarding maternal care during pregnancy,
childbirth and the postpartum period. The health care professionals should be supported
to gather skills for pregnancies and labour, referral of women and new-borns with
complications, childbirths, antenatal check-ups, obstetrics and gynaecological problems,
monitor high-risk pregnancies, health of new-born and family planning (Molina et al.,
2020). High incentives and timely wages should be provided to the skilled attendants

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with excellent delivery skills. This process will encourage and motivate them to involve
in the process and providing care to women seeking maternal services.
· Additional health literacy can be provided to women so that other pregnant women can
seek services. State-Subsidised financing could be applied for free transportation for the
women who seek health care services. The rural transportation services are provided
England to improve maternal services. Better births is one such five years problem
designed by NHS England to that improve birth attendance and facilitate the healthy
delivery of the women (Www.england.nhs.uk., 2020)..
· Positive engagement between public as well as private health care providers can increase
the involvement of skilled birth attendants because the collaboration and cooperation can
improve the delivery services.
· Supportive social policies are required to develop in this context in order to provide
flexibility and legal support to the community workers (Jijimole, Vijayaraghavan &
Susila, 2018). Supportive policies that enable skilled birth attendants to provide various
quality services especially services required during an emergency and provide them with
adequate professional and legal support. The policies will also provide flexibility and
reduce burnout.
And so here we conclude by raising a question to all the community health workers and the
government officials - Are we ready to fight against this together and save lives of those little
popping seeds and their blooming flowers?

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groundbreaking-success-in-reducing-maternal-mortality