The Maharashtra state health department has announced plans to establish 600 Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) units in government hospitals. These units will provide complete prenatal and postpartum care.
The number of planned SUMAN facilities was initially only 457. It has now increased to 600 due to the growing need for pregnancy and postpartum care. These centres will focus on providing holistic care during conception, pregnancy, and the postpartum period up to six months after birth.
Launched by the Centre in October 2019, the SUMAN programme offers free medical care. This includes immunisations and dietary supplements to pregnant women and newborns.
Currently, there have been many efforts to upgrade the infrastructure and centers of public institutions. The main goal is to reduce maternal and child mortality. However, there is a current shortage of complete emergency obstetric and newborn care (CEmONC) and basic emergency obstetric and neonatal care (BEmONC).
Out of all the SUMAN centres, 538 will provide basic amenities, with 15 dedicated to CEmONC and 47 to BEmONC. The primary healthcare facilities are considered basic centres, while sub-district and rural hospitals are categorised as BEmONC centres.
According to reports, the officials are currently waiting for the guidelines from the Centre, as the chosen healthcare facilities need to obtain certificates according to the National Quality Assurance Standards. The institutes also need to update their equipment and services to meet Indian public health standards.
The scheme will play a significant role in reducing mortality rates by addressing critical healthcare needs. India's maternal death rate has decreased from every 254,000 live births in 2004–2006 to 130 in 2014–16. Similarly, the infant mortality rate has dropped from 66 to 34 every 1,000 live births between 2001 and 2016.
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