Context: Janani Suraksha Yojana has shown remarkable success, with more than 88 per cent deliveries taking place in a hospital.
About Janani Suraksha Yojana:
- Launched in: 2005
- Type pf scheme: Centrally sponsored scheme
- Nodal Ministry: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
- Aim: To reduce maternal and neonatal mortality by promoting institutional delivery through financial incentives.
- Beneficiaries: Pregnant women, especially from Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, and BPL households.
Key features of the Janani Suraksha Yojana
- It is a safe motherhood intervention under the National Health Mission.
- It has been implemented in all States and UTs, with a special focus on low-performing States (mainly in north India and north-east).
- An expecting mother gets ₹1,400 in rural areas and ₹1,000 in urban areas after delivering at a public health facility or in an Accredited Private Hospital.
- While SC/ST women get the cash incentive in both low and high-performing States.
- Only women from BPL households get the benefit in high-performing States.
- Only those pregnant women who are above 19 years of age can avail the benefits provided under the scheme. Women below 19 years of age cannot register under the Janani Suraksha Yojana.
- Women with only up to two live births are eligible under the scheme.
- JSY has identified Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) as an effective link between the government and pregnant women.
- The cash benefit should be disbursed to the beneficiary preferably at the institution. If ASHA is unable to organize transport (wherever applicable) , disbursement of transport assistance should be done in the health centre as soon as pregnant women arrive and register for delivery.
Performance of the scheme:
- Institutional delivery has increased from 39 per cent during 2005-06 to 89 per cent in 2019-21. This increase has occurred for both high-and low-performing States and even for women having a third or later children in high-performing States who are not eligible for the benefit.
Challenges of the scheme:
- Despite success, rising hospital delivery costs diminishes the significance of financial incentives like the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) program.
- National Family Health Survey (2019-21) reported that the average out-of-pocket cost of hospitalisation delivery was ₹10,035 (₹24,663 in private and ₹3,245 in public facilities), far more than the ₹1,400 and ₹1,000 incentive.
- While hospital deliveries have seen remarkable improvement, antenatal care (ANC) uptake remains stagnant, especially among marginalized groups and for higher-order births.
Way forward:
- Shifting focus towards pre- and post-delivery components of maternal healthcare could yield broader improvements in maternal and child health outcomes.
- Tailoring interventions to address disparities within states, such as directing resources towards low-performing districts, could enhance program coverage and impact.
- As with underperforming programs, successful initiatives like institutional delivery programs require periodic evaluation to ensure optimal resource allocation and maximum impact.
- Regular assessments and potential refinements can ensure that funds and healthcare worker efforts are effectively utilized to achieve program objectives.
