MAKING PREGNANCY AND CHILDBIRTH SAFE
Our mission is to reduce maternal and infant mortality in India by making pregnancy and childbirth safe. We want to create a cadre of health workers — midwives — and services which would provide professional yet affordable care to women during pregnancy. We believe that it is possible to make drastic and enduring reductions in maternal mortality, through a woman-centered, more ‘natural’ and less invasive maternity care.
Every eight minutes, a mother dies during childbirth in India. For every maternal death, 20 more women suffer from lifelong health impairments that result from complications during their pregnancies. A majority of these deaths and complications are avoidable. With timely and precise intervention, pregnancy with an ensuing safe childbirth can be made a joyous event.
It is a modern misconception that childbirth is risky without all the interventions of the latest medical technology. Pregnancy and childbirth are normal physiological processes in a woman’s life. Our challenge lies in reminding women to enjoy their pregnancies. Our aim is to “humanize” birthing to the extent possible.
Our goal is to create a new workforce — highly qualified and capable of providing professional care independently and effectively to low-risk pregnant women. Providing health care, especially to the deprived rural and urban slum populations, where women cannot afford care in private hospitals can significantly lower maternal and infant mortality.
A Midwife, as a competent and independent health professional, should become an ideal choice for providing antenatal care to women with normal pregnancies, and for delivering their babies. Midwifery, as a model of professional service, if spread more widely, would make a big difference to both maternal and child health across India.