According to India’s fifth National Family Health Survey, done in two phases between June 2019 and April 2021, the public caesarean section( C- section) rate was a astounding21.5, much advanced than the World Health Organisation’s’ ideal rate ’ of 10- 15. On top of this is the difference in the number of C- section births at government hospitals and private sector installations. While47.4 of babies born in the private sector were being delivered by surgical styles, the C- section rate was14.3 in the government sector. Empowering women and raising mindfulness about the benefits of normal parturition and the counteraccusations of C- sections is the need of the hour, in the wake of a rise in C- section surgeries, especially in the civic terrain. Midwifery care is another way to reduce medical intervention in low- threat gravidity, and this is what Janhavi Nilekani, a social entrepreneur, is working on. Leading from the front A development economist from Harvard, Janhavi, Author of Bengaluru- grounded Aastrika Foundation and Aastrika Midwifery Centre, is working on bringing midwifery care to the centre stage. She talks to HerStory about the need to establish midwifery as an essential element of motherly care and the challenges she faced along her trip in this space. Janhavi says, “ There are extremely high rates of C- sections, episiotomies, inductions, accruals, formula feeding, and gratuitous NICU care in the country. When a woman is giving birth, she’s at her most vulnerable state and unfit to defend herself. What she needs are ethics and compassion. But women in India are disempowered largely. ” These are the issues she wants to attack through education and commission. Janhavi, who’s the son of Infosysco-founder and Aadhaar mastermind Nandan Nilekani and philanthropist Rohini Nilekani, acknowledges her privileged background, which helped her take the plunge into social entrepreneurship. She was especially drawn to motherly healthcare after her own experience with midwife- led delivery in 2016.
A foundation for mindfulness Driven by her desire to spread mindfulness on midwifery care, Janhavi established Aastrika Foundation in May 2019. Three times latterly, the foundation has 30 workers working on making midwifery an important part of parturition and motherly care. As part of the foundation, a digital literacy platform named Aastrika Sphere was created in September 2020 for nursers and midwives anywhere in the world. The platform aims to helppre-service midwifery scholars learn essential chops and help in- service midwives to upskill and ameliorate their capabilities. The foundation offers courses from United Nations Population Fund and Fernandez Foundation, among others. The “ biggest, poignant ” programme, according to Janhavi, has been the bone
in cooperation with Maternity Foundation and Indian Nursing Council. “ Postpartum haemorrhage remains the leading cause of motherly death encyclopedically, and I ’m proud that our course on active operation across stages directly targets the leading cause of motherly mortality, ” she says. Nearly,000 learners, primarily from government hospitals in pastoral and civic areas across the country, have taken the course, with about,000 carrying instruments. The foundation is also funding the National Midwifery Training Institute at the state- run Vanivilas Women and Children Hospital in Bengaluru. Training is anticipated to begin latterly this time. Janhavi says, “ We’ve transnational faculty members from Europe, three original faculty members, a design fellow, and two elderly members who are only working on this. ” Developing an ecosystem In December 2018, the Government of India had come out with ‘ Guidelines on Midwifery Services in India, 2018 ’, with the end of perfecting the quality of care and icing regardful care for pregnant women and invigorated babies. Through the programme, the government aims to establish a skeleton of professional midwives who are professed on par with the transnational norms set by the International Confederation of Midwives.
