Maternal and Child Health Community’s suggestions on timely institutional care and access to pregnant women formed a part of Family Welfare Ministry’s policy brief.

The Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) of the Ministry of and Family Welfare is a maternity benefit program. Under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), the scheme integrated cash assistance to pregnant women with antenatal care during pregnancy, institutional care during and delivery in a health centre by establishing a system of coordinated care by field level health workers. One of the key determinants of successful institutional care is timely access.

The JSY assists mothers for arranging transportation. A member of the Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Community posted a query on emergency transportation, and members provided a range of field experiences about how best to institutionalize the transportation system, to reduce the delays in reaching a health facility. Members discussed community empowerment/planning, the role of community based institutions, institutional support/strengthening available facilities, and the pros and cons of cost compensation. The discussion was compiled and circulated to members as a Consolidated Reply. The Consolidated Reply then formed part of the Ministry’s policy briefs will be used to develop a case-study video film. The Community’s Resource team also shared the recommendations and approached a few donors and international NGOs to replicate some of the good experiences in NRHM focus states.