Women, people who are expecting to give birth, and children are significant parts of our society. Healthcare in recent times has become more important than ever.  Funding healthcare has arguably become even more important as in the world that we live in, these healthcare processes cannot be carried out without the financial funds to support them. Every human being that has come into existence has been subject to the process of pregnancy, delivery and c-sections, and gestational period among other related processes. In India, there are several women who may require government assistance for themselves or their children during the process of pregnancy and childbirth. This is where Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) comes in.

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Need For Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram In India

Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram - Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram
Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram

A vast and diverse country like India needs to have certain schemes such as Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram available alongside its developing healthcare infrastructure in order to ensure that adequate assistance is given to women and children that may be facing certain complex situations related to infant and maternal health. Maternal health is an issue that has often been overlooked in the past in our country due to societal taboos, hush-hush sentiments about the way people feel about women and issues that affect them, the inability of infants to care for themselves, thus leading to ignorance of various topics relating to their health, especially by the administration itself in the country. In India, which is now said to possibly overtake China in terms of the population soon, we see the largest number of births as well as some of the highest mortality rates in the world. In order to prevent both maternal mortality and infant mortality, improve the overall health and lifestyle of women and children and ensure well being of citizens in the country, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) has been put into effect.

Need For Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram By The Common Person

The cost of healthcare has been steeply increasing in the last few years and has put pressure on a lot of people from different communities and regions in India. The common person is already struggling to simply pay for day-to-day expenses, let alone expenses for surgical procedures and complex medical issues which Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram may help with. The price of things such as drugs, user charges, diagnostic tests, and diet, for c – sections has become more expensive than ever. On top of that in competitive markets there are different pricing strategies and pricing structures when it comes to certain treatments, medicines etc that a person that is about to give birth to a child, is giving birth or already has given birth for post-birth care may need. They may not be able to afford this, bringing on further issues and complications not only for the adult that has to make these financial decisions but also the child, newborn, or infant themself that has to deal with the repercussions of not being able to afford treatments in adequate time. Further medical complications can be avoided by taking action in time for whatever medical complexity has already happened. This would mean having an option for funding the medical treatments available and even sometimes having an excess of funds available in order to understand what kinds of funds may be needed in case some unforeseen complications occur and additionally how to deal with them. Planning before the event has already occurred can lead to avoidance of lots of stress later which is why knowing about schemes such as Janani Shishu Suraksha Yojana can be a game changer for women that may be in tough financial circumstances or feel like they may not be able to deal with varying costs of childbirth which can be very high. 

Help To Single Mothers Through Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram

The Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram may also be of huge help to single mothers who are pregnant and single pregnant women about to give birth for the first time. People who are usually in their situation in Indian society may face some stigma and might be at a financial disadvantage in relation to their counterparts who may have a male partner or someone who has other forms of assistance from society, family, and friends and do not face the same kind of discrimination and backlash from the people who are around them through the JSSK scheme benefits. 

How Eligible People Benefit From Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram

Pregnant women and parents of newborn babies that are ill benefit from Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram scheme that assists them with costs related to excessive expenditures that may occur during the delivery of the child and also post the delivery of the child when the parents may incur huge costs related to the treatment of the child, related to their treatment. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) has initiated this in order to make sure that both children and women are provided with better facilities. Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram was launched in 2011 on 1st June. This scheme would benefit about 12 million pregnant women. These pregnant women primarily utilize government facilities during the term of pregnancy and post-pregnancy, so the refinement of the facilities and assistance of women through the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram scheme is very important in both rural as well as urban locations throughout the country. JSSK is aimed to reach as many women as possible, however, it is generally availed by women who are pregnant and at or below the poverty line as these are generally people who require the most assistance in a society where they have or have had the most disadvantages in relation to others. It is important to assist the child they are bringing into this world so that they do not face disadvantages that their parents did just because they were born to those who faced difficult circumstances. 

Encouraging Institutional Deliveries Through Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram

The process of birth is a risk that a lot of people take in order to bring a new life into this world. Giving birth is not a simple process and is rather one that involves specialized care for the mother and child, or children if there are multiple, sensitive assistance, good infrastructure, and facilities to allow the entire process to take place with ease and all different kinds of support for the mother and child which may be emotional, financial, nutritional, etc. One may find that institutional deliveries are actually much more secure and safe than deliveries that may be done at home. The simple reason for this is that if there are any complications before the birth of a child, after the birth of a child, or even during the birth of a child, this can be handled properly by the hospital staff that has all the equipment as well as the expertise to deal with these kinds of situations. Through the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram scheme, women are encouraged to therefore try and have their deliveries at well-established hospitals that are run by the government where all the care and facilities may be available for the mother and child, and if there are multiple births which can generally be more complicated than birth of a single child, then for all the multiple children. New born babies may be assisted by the benefits provided through the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram scheme up to 30 days after they have been born.

The Growth Of Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram Scheme

While JSSK was launched in June 2011 so that out-of-pocket expenses could be waived for institutional delivery of pregnant women and treatment of sick infants, this program itself was in its own infancy. In the year 2014, this program grew and was further extended. It now covered all antenatal & postnatal complications of pregnancy. Similar entitlements have been put in place for all sick newborns and infants (up to one year of age) accessing public health institutions for treatment. Newborns and infants are the future citizens of our country. If we are able to ensure that they start off well in life and are healthy, safe, and are well taken care of in their initial or early but crucial stages of development, then we know that our country will be in good hands and have healthy citizens in the future too. Infant care is therefore not only important for the infant themselves and their parents and families but also to for securing the future of our country and in fact securing the future of humanity as a whole even though this Shishu Suraksha Yojana itself may only impact people within the territory of India directly or at the surface level.

Conditions For Eligibility Of Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram

It is helpful to know the conditions for eligibility to avail the JSSK scheme benefits. Pregnant women are eligible for this scheme, so the person making the application in order to avail JSSK scheme benefits must be pregnant at the time that they apply for it. Another criterion for the application process for JSSK is simple. The competent staff of the health facility gives the referral of the woman who may be pregnant at the time for JSSK. The documents required in order to make a successful application for Janani Shishu Suraksha Yojana would be Aadhaar card number, proof of the person’s address, domicile certificate, ration card, Janani Suraksha card.

Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram Scheme Benefits

There are many JSSK scheme benefits. For pregnant women, these may be free and cashless delivery, free c-section, free drugs and consumables, free diagnostics, free diet during stay in the health institutions, free provision of blood, exemption from user charges, free transport from home to health institutions, free transport between facilities in case of referral, free drop back from institutions to home after 48 hours of stay. For sick newborns till 30 days after birth (now been expanded to also cover sick infants), the benefits would be free treatment, free drugs and consumables, free diagnostics, free provision of blood, exemption from user charges, free transport from home to health institutions, free transport between facilities in case of referral, free drop back from institutions to home. All of these JSSK scheme benefits are critical for women from underprivileged societies and situations where the medical procedure that has to be funded is life or death. While some of these benefits such as free drop back from institutions to home after a day or two of stay does not seem like a very big deal, it can make a huge difference to a woman who may have been through a traumatic medical experience for example, such as a c-section which is considered to be a major surgery. C – section procedure involves risks and is usually only performed as a safest option or only option left for the mother and the baby and one has to also heal after this procedure for many days which can involve lots of pain, bleeding and other traumas such as emotional traumas when recovering post a major surgery. This is only one example but one may be able to understand how sensitive the issues covered by the Shishu Suraksha Yojana are. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, there are several instances and locations within the country where women and parents of infants or children who have health complexities may avail the scheme known as Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram. All the States and Union Territories have initiated implementation of the scheme that will make and also has already made strides when it comes to healthcare in general and the health of children and women, both women that are expecting and women that have given birth themselves and may need to further assist their child or need assistance themselves. Great and improved maternal and child care facilities will not only affect children and mothers but will also ensure a healthy populace that has had a great start in life. As they say, breakfast is the most important meal, important to ensure one has an energetic and fulfilled day, similarly a good early start in life is a good push towards a good and fulfilled life, so it is vital to provide protection or ‘Suraksha’ to the new generation and the people that take alot of risks and finally bring them into this world. The effects of the schemes such as Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram that are more recent will only truly be seen in few decades after, but these are huge and important effects that we simply cannot compromise on. Understanding the immense value of such schemes such as the Janani Shishu Suraksha Yojana will trigger a ripple effect that will truly be seen for generations to come.

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