District Collector, RV Karnan, who recently assumed office got to know about the delay that was occurring at the Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in preparing reports of the tests done on pregnant women and the consequent negative impact of it on women and especially the issue of hidden hunger among females.

The Collector then asked the local anganwadis to provide lunch for the women who visit the PHCs from far-off villages. There are 33 PHCs and 2,093 Anganwadi Centres in Nalgonda district. As a result of the order, the administration of the district has started to supply lunch to pregnant and lactating women who visit the PHCs in Nalgonda district. So now the pregnant and lactating mothers need not return home to distant villages after visiting the PHCs post the medical check-ups. This new order is supporting many such women. The administration also assists such women to the PHC for medical tests.

There are as many as 9,664 pregnant, 8,813 lactating women, 26,328 children in the age group of 3-6 years, and 45, 127 children in the age group of six months to three years. On average, five to six lactating women arrive at each PHC every day for a health check. They undergo tests between 8 am and 9 am and they would have to wait till 2 pm to receive reports.

A woman going to the PHC is required to inform the nearest Anganwadi Centre who will inform the mandal headquarters to arrange the lunch essentials for her at the PHC. The lunch comprises rice, dal, and boiled eggs.

V Suvarna, a pregnant woman from Lankalapalli village of Marriguda Mandal: "The staff of Anganwadi Centre provided lunch for me and my four-year-old daughter. I had to stay till 3 PM to get reports of the tests done in the morning. When I came here last month, I had my lunch after returning home at about 3 PM as she had no money to eat outside after receiving test reports."

The women who go to the PHCs are happy as they are guaranteed with such a good facility so much so that they don't have to spend money outside for food in a restaurant. The women are thankful to the district collector for this initiative.

Already, females have a very poor performance in health standards when compared with males. But pregnant women shouldn't be seen as a liability and rather it is obligatory for all of us to take steps to make the journey of pregnancy easier. We shouldn't forget that the atom of our unit has been derived out of a mother itself.

.    .    .

Reference:

• newsindianexpress.com