Telangana sees new trend in healthcare

Hyderabad: There has been a steady increase in the number of institutional deliveries across the country which is also reflected in Telangana State in the recent years. The rise in institutional deliveries also indicates better access to healthcare facilities and less mortality of pregnant women and infants.

Institutional deliveries mean that the pregnant woman has delivered in a hospital (private or public health institution), rather than in a home setting where emergency care for infants and mothers is usually not available.

In the last decade, when it comes to deliveries, private health facilities had witnessed a massive rise in the numbers while there was a decline in number of deliveries taking place in public-health institutions.

The tendency to choose private healthcare facilities over public healthcare institutions had put a lot of financial pressure on families falling in the below poverty line category. Depending on the kind of private healthcare facility, families spend anywhere between Rs 30,000 and Rs 1 lakh for deliveries.

However, this trend began to change with the introduction of a slew of measures recently by health authorities in Telangana State. Largely because of concerted efforts to improve infrastructure and quality of healthcare around Mother and Child Health (MCH), the number of deliveries in public health institutions began rising in Telangana State.

According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-4 survey, which was carried out across India by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MOHFW) in 2015-16, the national figures for institutional deliveries is close to 79 per cent.

In NFHS-3 survey of 2005-06, the countrywide institutional deliveries was 39 per cent, which eventually touched 79 per cent within a decade. Back home in Telangana State, the institutional deliveries are 91.5 per cent.

According to HFHS- 4 (2015-16), the institutional deliveries in State-run hospitals in Telangana State was close to 31 per cent while the rest of the deliveries i.e. 70 per cent of the deliveries happen in private healthcare institutions.