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Laqshya & mHealth

Government launches new initiatives for Universal Health Coverage

The Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare launched ‘LaQshya’ Initiative and mHealth: Safe
Delivery Application on the occasion of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Day. Moreover, Operational
Guidelines for Obstetric High Dependency Units and Intensive Care Units were also released.

UHC Day is observed every year on 12 December to commemorate first unanimous United Nations
resolution calling for countries to provide affordable, quality health care to every person, everywhere.

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UHC aims at ensuring equitable access for all to affordable, accountable, appropriate health services of

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assured quality.

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Laqshya- A Labour Room Quality Improvement Initiative

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It is safe delivery mobile application for health workers who manage normal and complicated

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deliveries in the peripheral area. Its objective is to improve quality of care provided to pregnant mother
in Labour Room and Maternity Operation Theatres (OTs), thereby preventing undesirable adverse

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outcomes associated with childbirth. LaQshya program will benefit every pregnant woman and
newborn delivering in public health institutions.

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It aims to reduce preventable maternal and new-born mortality, morbidity and stillbirths associated
with care around delivery in Labour room and Maternity OTs. It will be implemented in government
Medical Colleges (MCs), District Hospitals (DHs), high delivery load Sub- District Hospitals (SDHs) and
Community Health Centres (CHCs).

It plans to conduct quality certification of labour rooms and provide facilities to achieve outlined
targets. The Quality Improvement in labour room and maternity OT will be assessed through NQAS
(National Quality Assurance Standards). Every facility achieving 70% score on NQAS will be certified as
LaQshya certified facility. Furthermore, branding of LaQshya certified facilities will be done as per the
NQAS score. Facilities scoring more than 90%, 80% and 70% will be given Platinum, Gold and Silver
badge accordingly. Facilities achieving NQAS certification, defined quality indicators and 80% satisfied
beneficiaries will be provided incentive of Rs 6 lakh, Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh for Medical College Hospital,
District Hospital and FRUs respectively.

mHealth: Safe Delivery Application

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It was launched for health workers who manage normal and complicated deliveries in peripheral areas.
The app has Clinical Instruction films on key obstetric procedures to help health workers translate
their learnt skills into actual practice. It has been field tested in few districts and found to be useful for
health workers providing maternity care.

Operational Guidelines for Obstetric High Dependency Units and Intensive Care Units

These guidelines will complement already existing national guidelines. It will also help states and state
level policy makers in setting up and operationalising critical care units dedicated to pregnant women.

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