FOGSI has announced its partnership with Public Health Department, Government of Maharashtra to improve quality of care in private maternity services in Maharashtra. The initiative aims to establish a uniform mechanism for care in every private maternity care hospital, nursing home, and clinic and expects to cover all districts and municipal corporations in the state.
The initiative has been named LaQshya-Manyata and both the custodians will be jointly promoting and implementing 26 clinical and facility standards in private hospitals (maternity care) in the state. This will entail training and aligning hospitals with labour room & Maternity Operation Theatre layout and workflow basis ‘Labour Room Standardization Guidelines’ and ‘Maternal & Newborn Health Toolkit’ issued by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India. The initiative aims to strengthen competencies and knowledge required for life-saving critical care as well as ensure strict adherence to clinical protocols for management and stabilization of the complications before referral. In doing so, it is committed to build simple and effective practices and processes, which can help reduce preventable maternal mortality and enrich the experience of every mother in the state.
The components of the program have been carefully identified by renowned private sector OBGYN specialists and partners covering vital areas for delivering quality care. Key approach under this initiative is quality improvement using PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) cycle. This would require reorganization of labour room structure (Infrastructure, HR, and Drugs & Equipment) and processes. The process includes online registration of the hospital, initiating a baseline and gap assessment, followed by trainings for the hospital staff through establish district level training structures of Government of Maharashtra and FOGSI. This would be followed by mentorship support for capacity building. Once hospital is ready, FOGSI and Public Health Department will jointly assess it.If the hospital is found compliant with the clinical (16) and Facility (10) standards achieving a score of 85% and 65% respectively, they would achieve LaQshya-Manyata certification from Public Health Department, GoM and FOGSI, recognition of the excellence in maternity services.
LaQshya-Manyata is a giant leap forward in advancing maternal healthcare outcomes in the state. By addressing quality care in the private sector, the program complements other public sector efforts towards building a holistic health system – such that, no mother dies during child birth.
On the announcement, Dr. Nandita Palshetkar, President, FOGSI said, “Our endeavour, as private sector, is to complement India’s national maternal health priorities. Through LaQshya-Manyata, we are recognizing those providers who consistently deliver quality care during pregnancy and childbirth knowing that better, safer and respectful care will reach mothers. Together, through this partnership, we have come a step closer to providing access to quality care in every corner of the state, through a strong network of National Health Mission and Obgyn societies. We hope this will create a quality care momentum for other states to follow in the same direction.â€
While safety of women is at the core of the program, LaQshya-Manyata is also valuable for other stakeholders in the maternal care ecosystem such as the private maternity providers. It enables them to build capable teams, with improved ability to manage life-threatening complications during deliveries.
Furthermore, the program, with flexible training sessions and simplified standards, is designed to meet private providers’ diverse needs, making it particularly suitable for small private sector maternity hospitals.
Dr. Hema Divakar, National Convener, FOGSI-NPMU said, “Since the inception of FOGSI’s Manyata program, we have recognized that within the geographies in the same region and between different states, there are different strategies that we need to use to influence positive behavior change in health care providers to ensure the perception and implementation of quality care. Our recent experiences with blended teaching on a digital platform have paved the way to fast track this initiative. I have no doubt that in collaboration with the Government of Maharashtra; FOGSI can ensure quality care to every woman and every girl – both in the private and public sector.â€
At a juncture, where the private sector accounts for nearly one third of the institutional deliveries in the state of Maharashtra – this partnership between the Government of Maharashtra and FOGSI comes at an opportune time. LaQshya-Manyata, while setting an example for other states to follow, aims to lead the way for reducing maternal mortality through continuous innovations, in the state and nationally.
About the LaQshya-Manyata Partners
FOGSI
The Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) is the professional organization representing practitioners of obstetrics and gynaecology in India. With 252 member societies and over 36,000 individual members spread over the length and breadth of the country, FOGSI exists to encourage and disseminate knowledge, education and research in the field of obstetrics and gynaecology, to pilot and promote preventive and therapeutic services related to the practice of obstetrics and gynaecology for betterment of the health of women and children in particular and the wellbeing of the community in general, to advocate the cause of reproductive health and rights and to support and protect the interest of practitioners of obstetrics and gynaecology in India.
Public Health Department, Government of MaharashtraÂ
The PHD aims to provide adequate, qualitative, preventive and preventive health care services to the citizens of the State. In order to make the primary health facility more accessible, the department aims to make the medical institutions more accessible to the people through moving health centres, especially in areas lacking service and in remote districts. Some of the other objectives of the state includes –
- Improving the health of mothers and infants in order to reduce maternal and infant mortality
- Improving hospital services at secondary level, both in terms of infrastructure and staffing.
- Updating the skills and knowledge of doctors, nurses and other lower medical staff to train them to meet the health care needs of the state.
- Maintenance and repair of buildings of health institutions.
- Implementation of various national health programs
- Provide health education to improve the knowledge, attitudes, and behavior of the community
MSD for Mothers
This program was developed and is being funded by MSD for Mothers, MSD & Co.’s$500 million global initiative to help create a world where no woman dies giving life. They have been working towards the cause of quality maternity care through the Manyata program and other investments since 2013 in India.
MSD for Mothers is committed to help making pregnancy and childbirth healthy and safe experiences for all women. They believe better maternal health care is a pathway to a lifetime of good health – vital for a woman’s wellbeing and prosperity – and so much more. It sets the foundation for women, children, families, communities, and societies to thrive for generations to come. They constantly collaborate with renowned partners and academicians from India and around the world to find solutions that will help mothers and families in the long term.
JhpiegoÂ
Jhpiego is a non-profit global health leader and Johns Hopkins University affiliate that is saving lives, improving health and transforming futures.  In partnership with national governments, health experts and local communities, Jhpiego builds health providers’ skills, and develops systems that save lives now and guarantee healthier futures for women and their families. For Manyata program, Jhpiego has been providing Technical Assistance to FOGSI to develop the QI standards, train the providers including monitoring and supportive supervision and developing a system for a sustainable and scalable QI/QA process.