Antetal checkup lowest in Lawngtlai
FROM A CORRESPONDENT
Lawngtlai (Mizoram), May 24: Amongst all the eight districts of Mizoram state, Lawngtlai holds the lowest position with regard to antetal checkup.
According to a District Level Household Survey of the Mizoram state done by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India with the coordition of Intertiol Institute for Population Sciences and Development and Research Services Pvt. Ltd. only 29 percent of the women folk of the Lawngtlai district receive antetal health checkup which is the lowest in comparison to all other districts of Mizoram. The survey showed except lawngtlai in all the other districts nearly 80 percent of women are reported to have received antetal checkup.
However with regard to antetal checkup the extent of utilization of government health facilities was higher than that of private health facilities, which shows a positive sign of improved government health scerio in the state as a whole said the report. The range of antetal check-ups coverage through government facilities in all the districts was highest upto 85 percent and lowest up to 24 percent.
An interaction by the study team with the tive rural folks depicted various reasons for such low figure. One prime and common reason noticed for not seeking check-ups relates to transportation and availability of health facility in the village.
However 49 percent of women stated that it was not necessary to have an antetal check-up. Most surprisingly it was seen that a higher proportion of urban women about 55 percent in comparison to rural women which stands at 49 percent felt that it was not necessary to have an antetal check-up. In addition to this another group of women who constitutes almost 12 percent of women felt that it was not customary to go for an antetal check-up.
Apart from these other factors contributing to non-use of antetal care were high cost in comparison to their earning, distance between health care centres and their homes, absence of transportation, lack of time to mage for treatment, conservative mindsets of the family etc. Certain percentage of women also reported to have lack of knowledge regarding the availability of such services. Thus the survey reveals a very critical scerio of the district which calls in for greater attention of the authorities to improve the situation. To increase the number of live birth both post tal and pre tal check up plays a very important role, but the poor rural folks are lagging far behind from it.
Health related workshops, semir and training are the urgent need of hour for the district so as to increase the awareness amongst the people. It is only when the people become fully aware regarding the importance of such health checkup the situation could be improved. In this regard the government, NGO’s and other civil society organization must also play an active role by providing the required facilities and sensitizing the people specially in the rural areas by means of health training, semirs etc.
