The Barwani Collector \has been conferred with the precious Skoch Award-2022 for his innovation, ‘Mission Ummeed’ to reduce the IMR and MMR by increasing the institutional delivery in the tribal district. The district selected under NITI Aayog’s Aspirational Districts Programme has around 70 per cent tribal population, they reside in scattered hamlets in remote hilly areas. Due to a lack of roads and mobile network connectivity, around 50 percent of home delivery used to take place in the district which was the major cause of a high infant mortality rate and maternal mortality rate.

“Due to the tough geographical challenges of the district, increasing institutional delivery was a big task for us but introducing ‘Mission Ummeed’ has created hope to bring pregnant women to the nearby hospitals with a help of local people and existing resources,” the Collector, Shivraj Singh told ‘The Hitavada’.

“We could get ahead towards achieving this challenging goal due to a dedication of the officials of the district administration, woman and child development and health departments, and a daring commitment of field level staff of Mamta Brigade,” the collector added.

The Skoch Award is the highest and national honour in the country felicitated by an independent organisation, the district has recently been awarded for increasing institutional deliveries.

‘Mission Ummeed’ is -a district level programme having a holistic approach to increasing the institutional deliveries for safe motherhood among the vulnerable tribal population that lived in the remote areas. The idea has also been playing a crucial role to reduce the MMR and IMR and child mortality rates also. The recent district wise report of the State’s WCD confirms it.

Mamta Brigade a group of Anganwadi Workers(AWs), Accredited Social Health Workers(ASHAs) and Auxiliary Nurse-Midwives(ANMs) has been formed under the programme in every village of the district. The members of the group conduct awareness sessions in the tribal villages through specially designed activities to encourage pregnant women to institutional delivery.

After introducing the programme, the district has made a significant increase in institutional deliveries. According to the recent report of the National Family Health Survey-5, the percentage of institutional delivery has reached 85.1 from 50.7 percent. A marked increase has also been registered in health-seeking behaviour among the tribal populations in the district.

Under the programme, the district administration has made ready the local people to bring pregnant women to the government facilities on their bikes, and four-wheelers. The district administration provides a monetary incentive from the existing local resources to these motivators, the process of disbursing funds (Rs 400 to 1000) is made very fast to the motivators’ bank accounts through DBT. The motivators also deliver pregnant women to the facilities by hanging a cloth bag stretcher on their shoulders from the hard reaching geographical areas.

Well-equipped new facility centres have been set up in the high delivery pockets and upgraded old labour rooms.

Under the mission, the transportation facility has also been strengthened. Every panchayat has been provided with