The Hindu 08.01.2014
More babies born at Coimbatore Corporation maternity centres: Mayor
Gifts for newborn babies:Coimbatore Corporation has begun distribution
of dress materials, napkins and mosquito nets to women after child birth
at the Corporation’s maternity centres.— PHOTO: S. SIVA SARAVANAN
The last three months have seen an increase in the
number of deliveries in the Coimbatore Corporation’s 20 maternity homes,
said Mayor S.M. Velusamy at a function organised on Tuesday at the
Seetha Lakshmi Maternity Centre to give away costless goods to women who
had just delivered.
He said that from 89 deliveries
in September last year, the Corporation had seen a steady increase in
that in October, the number of deliveries was 107 and in November it was
116. As of January 7, the 20 homes had helped 35 women give birth.
This was due to a series of efforts the civic body administration took in the recent past.
Commissioner
G. Latha said that the Corporation started with distributing breakfast,
lunch and supper for three days for the women who delivered at the
maternity homes. The civic body gave bread and milk for breakfast, full
meals with egg for lunch and idlis, bananas and milk for supper. The
expenditure worked out to Rs. 140 a woman a day.
In
the latest initiative, the Corporation provided two night dresses, three
baby dresses, baby towels and napkins, sanitary napkins and a mosquito
net for the women. The cost of the package was Rs. 631.
The
initiatives had led to the increase in births in the urban health
centres, which had increased the Corporation’s share of births in
government institutions from seven to 11 per cent. The number of births
in government institutions in the district in a month stood at 400.
Aside
from the costless goods, the Corporation had planned to improve
infrastructure in the SLM home and also other maternity centres. It
would soon buy a scanning machine and X-ray machine for installation at
the home. It also planned to set up four more labs in the city to do
basic testing.
The setting up of the labs would avoid
women and people in general from going to the SLM and avail themselves
of the services from labs nearer to home. The Corporation also planned
to improve the maternity centres with funds from the Central Government
under the National Urban Health Mission.
It was also trying to address issues related to shortage of a few doctors and staff nurses at the health centres.
Coimbatore Corporation provides breakfast, lunch and supper for three days for mothers at its maternity homes.
