Janani Suraksha Yojana & Benefits

Janani Suraksha Yojana

Introduction 

The Government of India's Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a ground-breaking programme designed to lower mother and newborn mortality rates and promote institutional births throughout the nation. The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM), which launched JSY on April 12, 2005, has achieved considerable progress in enhancing maternity healthcare and safeguarding the wellbeing of mothers and their babies. This article explores the main tenets of JSY, its goals, implementation tactics, results, and difficulties encountered in its quest to revolutionise maternity healthcare in India.

Janani Suraksha Yojana Overview

The Janani Suraksha Yojana is a conditional cash transfer programme that gives pregnant women financial support to encourage them to give birth in hospitals rather than at home. The programme attempts to alleviate India's high newborn and maternal mortality rates, which are predominantly found in rural regions. By encouraging institutional births, JSY makes sure that people have access to trained medical personnel, emergency obstetric care, and early interventions, therefore lowering the risk of difficulties for both the mother and the newborn.

Janani Suraksha Yojana Login Portal: 

https://nhm.gov.in/index1.php?lang=1&level=3&lid=309&sublinkid=841

Goals of the JSY

The following are the main goals of JSY

• Promote institutional deliveries to lower the incidence of maternal and newborn death.

• To obtain prenatal and postnatal care, encourage pregnant women.

• Contribute financially to the costs of getting healthcare services, including travel.

• Inform women on the value of professional birth attendants and institutional deliveries.

• Boost the general health of expectant mothers and babies.

JSY implementation

Several parties are involved in the execution of JSY, including the federal and state governments, healthcare organisations, volunteers in the community, and beneficiaries. In order to implement JSY, the following are necessary:

• Identification of eligible beneficiaries: Pregnant women from low-income households, Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and other marginalised groups are eligible to receive JSY payments.

• Cash incentives: Under the JSY programme, pregnant women who choose to have institutional births, prenatal checkups, and postpartum care are given cash rewards. Depending on the geography and method of distribution, these incentives change.

• ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists): ASHAs are essential in promoting JSY and offering advice to expectant mothers. They make it easier to register ahead of time, get women ready for check-ups and births, and help them get the monetary benefits.

• Strengthening healthcare infrastructure: JSY seeks to strengthen the healthcare system in rural regions by assuring the availability of facilities that are necessary for secure births.

Effect of JSY

In India, JSY has improved mother and child health outcomes significantly. Some significant effects include:

• Increased institutional deliveries: From 47.6% in 2005–06 to 79.9% in 2019–20, institutional deliveries have grown dramatically as a result of JSY.

• Reduction in maternal and newborn mortality: By encouraging competent birth attendance and access to emergency obstetric care, the programme has significantly decreased maternal mortality. In 2001–2003, the MMR was 301 per 100,000 live births; in 2016–18, it was just 113.

• Better antenatal care: JSY urges expectant mothers to schedule regular antenatal care appointments in order to better track their health during pregnancy.

• Women's empowerment: By offering financial support and advocating for institutional changes, JSY enables women to take control of their health and well-being.

The Way Forward and the Challenges

Even though JSY has made great progress, it still faces certain difficulties. For the programme to continue to succeed, these issues must be resolved. Among the main obstacles to overcome and the path forward are

Awareness and Information

Despite campaigns to raise awareness, women, particularly those in rural regions, are still unaware of the advantages of institutional deliveries and the accessibility of JSY. This obstacle can be solved by enhancing knowledge transmission through community outreach programmes, media campaigns, and the engagement of local influencers.

The Way Forward and the Challenges

Even though JSY has made great progress, it still faces certain difficulties. For the programme to continue to succeed, these issues must be resolved. Among the main obstacles to overcome and the path forward are

Awareness and Information

Despite campaigns to raise awareness, women, particularly those in rural regions, are still unaware of the advantages of institutional deliveries and the accessibility of JSY. This obstacle can be solved by enhancing knowledge transmission through community outreach programmes, media campaigns, and the engagement of local influencers.

Quality of Healthcare Services

It is still difficult to guarantee that rural communities have access to high-quality healthcare services. To provide better care during births and postnatal care, JSY should concentrate on enhancing the facilities' physical layout, human resources, and medical technology.

Accessibility and Transportation

Due to insufficient transportation options, many pregnant women living in distant locations have difficulty reaching medical services. This problem may be solved by extending the reach of healthcare services through mobile clinics, ambulance services, and partnerships with transportation companies.

Disbursement of incentives on time

Delaying the payment of monetary rewards to recipients might discourage expectant mothers from choosing institutional delivery. It is crucial to streamline the procedure and put in place efficient monitoring measures to guarantee prompt payment of rewards.

Monitoring and Evaluation

To evaluate the effects of JSY and pinpoint areas for development, efficient monitoring and evaluation methods are essential. Gaps may be found and solutions can be put in place with the aid of routine monitoring, data gathering, and analysis.

Integration with other healthcare programmes

Combining JSY with other healthcare initiatives including immunisation, nutrition, and reproductive health can give mothers and children access to a full range of medical services. Improved health results can result from collaborative initiatives.

Sustainability and Scaling up

Securing sustainability and scaling up to cover the entire population remains a problem, despite the fact that JSY has been effective in a number of states. Long-term programme viability depends on adequate money, political commitment, and cooperation between the federal and state governments.

Several actions are being conducted to expand the influence of JSY and overcome current obstacles

Strengthening Healthcare Infrastructure

The government is putting greater effort into enhancing healthcare infrastructure, particularly in rural regions, by building new facilities, renovating those that already exist, and assuring the accessibility of necessary supplies and tools for secure delivery.

Enhancing competent Birth Attendance

In especially in underprivileged regions, efforts are being made to educate and place more competent birth attendants, such as physicians, nurses, and midwives. This guarantees the availability of qualified experts to deliver babies safely and address any issues that may develop.

Promoting Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness

JSY wants to inform expectant mothers about birth readiness and the identification of potential complications during pregnancy and delivery. This gives them the ability to seek prompt medical attention and guarantees a safer delivery procedure.

Focus on Quality treatment

The programme places a strong emphasis on giving patients access to high-quality medical treatment in medical institutions. This entails enhancing the abilities and understanding of healthcare personnel, making sure that there are infection control procedures in place, and promoting evidence-based practises for maternal and neonatal care.

Integration of Digital Technologies

To improve access to healthcare services, offer remote consultations, and make it easier to monitor pregnant women both during and after pregnancy, the integration of digital technologies, such as telemedicine and mobile health applications, is being investigated.

Collaboration & Partnerships

To take use of its expertise, assets, and networks, NGOs, international agencies, and community-based organisations are just a few of the stakeholders that JSY participates in partnership with. Through these alliances, the program's reach is increased, service delivery is improved, and particular area concerns are addressed.

Strengthening Monitoring and Evaluation Systems

Consistent monitoring and evaluation on the JSY execution is essential to identifying deficiencies and gauging the efficacy of interventions. The programme continuously assesses the results of JSY, gathers information on important indicators, and applies the findings to enhance programme execution and results.

Participation of Empowered Women

JSY seeks to empower women by including them in decisions regarding their reproductive health and maternity care. This entails aggressively including women in neighbourhood mobilisation initiatives, establishing self-help organisations, and encouraging their involvement in neighbourhood health committees.

Conclusion

The Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), which encourages institutional births and offers financial aid to expectant mothers, has been instrumental in enhancing maternal and child health in India. The programme has had notable success in lowering maternal and newborn death rates and increasing the percentage of births made in hospitals. For the JSY to have a long-lasting impact, however, issues including awareness, healthcare quality, accessibility, and prompt incentive payments must be resolved. JSY can continue to empower moms, save lives, and revolutionise maternity healthcare in India with ongoing efforts, collaborations, and a focus on the overall well-being of women.