The pregnancy journey is not easy, and thus, women need extra care with regular health checkups and antenatal care. This process can be costly for many, due to which many underprivileged women are often left behind when it comes to these care and health facilities. With the right health insurance, you can save lots of financial expenses. However, buying a health insurance plan for family cannot be an affordable option for many. To address this problem, the Indian government has introduced a robust initiative: the PMSMA scheme. It provides required antenatal care services to women in the last six months of their pregnancy.
PMSMA: Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan Scheme
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) initiated the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) to provide all pregnant women with free-of-cost, quality and assured antenatal care. This scheme guarantees the minimum antenatal care services to women in the second or third trimester of pregnancy at the concerned government health facilities. However, if you have the budget, try out DIY Health Insurance or even a Health Absolute plan for better coverage options.
What are the objectives of PMSMA?
PMSMA is a part of the Reproductive Maternal Neonatal Child and Adolescent (RMNCH+A) health strategy. As a part of this, it aims to increase the quality of antenatal care (ANC) coverage, including diagnostic and counselling sessions. Furthermore, the following are some core objectives of the PMSMA scheme:
1. Ensures at least one antenatal checkup for pregnant women in their second and third trimester.
2. Works to improve the quality of care services like:
- All diagnostic services.
- Screening for the required clinical condition.
- Better management of existing conditions such as gestational diabetes, anaemia, or pregnancy-induced hypertension.
- Counselling services and any missed antenatal visits.
1. Identifies high-risk pregnancies based on medical history or existing conditions.
2. Proper birth planning and readiness for any complication in pregnant women.
3. Adequate care of malnourished women.
4. Provides special attention to adolescent and early pregnancies as these conditions need specialised care.
Salient features of PMSMA
Maternity care is essential, and now, even underprivileged women can get the benefit of maternity insurance. Every pregnant woman in India can avail of services under PMSMA and get proper antenatal care without the pressure of expenses. Irrespective of the socio-economic status, the PMSMA benefits pregnant women and removes barriers to accessing quality healthcare services.
- Quality ANC services: Pregnant women are offered free antenatal checkups like medical examinations, blood or urine tests, and screenings of high-risk clinical conditions.
- Identification of high-risk pregnancies: The scheme aims to identify any complications in pregnancy through special tests like blood pressure monitoring, blood tests, and ultrasound. Furthermore, a sticker indicating the condition and risk factors will be attached to the women's MCP cards on each visit.
- Green sticker for women with no risk factor.
- Red sticker for women with high-risk factors.
- Availability of Medical Specialists: PMSMA ensures the availability of obstetricians, gynaecologists, and other medical experts to provide special care and guidance during ANC checkups. These medical specialists contribute their services voluntarily for women on the ninth of every month at a designated government centre.
- Provides a package of Antenatal care: A minimum package of antenatal care services, including medicines, will be provided to the beneficiaries every month on the ninth day at the authorised public health centre in both urban and rural areas.
How does PMSMA benefit Families?
Not every woman in India buys pregnancy insurance to improve their health or to minimise costs. The PMSMA scheme is an initiative to promote maternal care and aims to reduce maternal or infant mortality rates in India. Its goal is to address the gap in maternal healthcare services for women who face financial constraints and limited access to healthcare facilities.
Furthermore, the following are some PMSMA benefits:
- The scheme allows for early identification of high-risk pregnancies at an early stage.
- This enables doctors to intervene on time and initiates appropriately managed complications.
- Improved maternal and neonatal health outcomes are seen.
- Regular ANC check-ups promote better maternal health and reduce the risks associated with pregnancy and childbirth.
- Pregnant women are provided counselling sessions to improve health practices during pregnancy, like proper nutrition, immunisation, and regular exercise.
How do you get registered under PMSMA?
Every pregnant woman can register for this scheme through PMSMA online entry using the mobile application developed to facilitate the services. To register for online entry, you can simply download the application, register using your mobile number, and book a session in the nearby authorised healthcare centre. Also, women can use official websites or helpline numbers to book appointments.
The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan scheme is an important step towards better maternal and neonatal healthcare in India. It aims to provide comprehensive and quality ANC services to pregnant women and enhance awareness about healthy practices during pregnancy across India. Through its focused and tailored approach, PMSMA contributes to an overall enrichment of safe motherhood.
However, the successful implementation of the PMSMA scheme relies on the collaboration of the state government, MoHFW, healthcare professionals, and awareness of women. Meanwhile, Future Generali offers several insurance plans that can make your motherhood journey smooth, tension-free and filled with joy.
