Jorayal poised to end maternal and infant deaths

DOTI, Mar 10: The Jorayal rural municipality in Doti district has launched a campaign aimed at ending maternal and infant deaths. 

While the limited access to health services is linked to poor antenatal care, maternal and perinatal mortality, the new campaign aims to bring every expectant, new mothers and their newborns in the rural municipality under the ambit of healthcare, said Jorayal rural municipality Chairman Durga Dutta Ojha. 

Chairman Ojha shared that under the campaign, record of the expectant and new mothers would be kept and those giving birth to the babies at their homes would be provided free delivery services and midwifery care while they would be encouraged to opt for delivery at the nearest birthing centers. 

Home births accounted for 81% of the births in Nepal in 2011 especially in remote parts of the countries while the figure dropped to 63 per cent in 2016, according to the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey report 2011. 

Related story

622 mothers died in one year, district wise breakdown reveals

Ojha urged for cooperation from all quarters to make this campaign a success. 

According to Jorayal rural municipality Executive Officer Samir Bhandari, the campaign was launched in light of the fact that many pregnant women in the remote parts of the district still opted for homebirth, risking the lives of both mother and newborn in lack of medical services during and after the delivery. 

Local people’s representatives, political leaders, social organizations, youth clubs among others have pledged to support this campaign. 

Mobile camps to issue citizenship certificates 

Meanwhile, the integrated mobile camp launched by the Sayal rural municipality in coordination with the District Administration Office, Doti, issued Nepali citizenship certificates cards to altogether 649 Nepali nationals meeting the criteria. 

A total of 650 individuals had applied for the citizenship certificates bearing photos, according to the Assistant Chief District Officer, Doti, Tek Narayan Poudel. 

The mobile camp benefited those who could not come to the district headquarters from the remote parts of the district to obtain citizenship identity cards, said Poudel. RSS