Out of Pocket expenditure among beneficiaries of Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram

Background: About 67,000 women in India die every year (MoHFW, 2011), due to pregnancy related complications. Similarly, every year more than 13 lacs infants die, within 1 year of the birth and out of these approximately 9 lacs i.e. 2/3rd of the infant deaths take place within the first four weeks of life (1).Out of these, approximately 7 lacs i.e. 75% of the deaths take place within a week of the birth and a majority of these occur in the first two days after birth (1). In view of the difficulty being faced by the pregnant women and parents of sick new-born (MoHFW,2011), along with high out-of-pocket expenses incurred by them on delivery and treatment of sick new-born, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has taken a major initiative, to provide completely free and cashless services to pregnant women including normal deliveries and caesarean operations and sick new born (up to 30 days after birth) in Government health institutions in both rural & urban areas. Material & Methods: In this community based descriptive cross-sectional study, data was collected from 100 mothers, who had delivered in last one year at District Hospital Maternal Wing situated at Morar Block of Gwalior District M.P and MO, ANM’s, ASHA’s, using Semi structured close ended Interview schedule and an open ended questionnaire respectively. Data were compared by using SPSS (ver. 22.0) Result: Expenses were divided under two heads, medical and non-medical. 15% of the total beneficiaries incurred the medical expenses in the form of medicines, diagnostics etc. and almost 99% of all the respondents incurred the non-medical expenses in the form of transport, food etc. Conclusion: Based on the outcome of the study the overall impression was that 59% of the beneficiaries were not aware of the JSSK scheme. Only during pregnancies through the initiatives of the ASHAs the beneficiaries came to know about the free entitlements of the scheme. There was unavailability of ambulance when required and delay in the services

Sustained progress, but no room for complacency: Results of 2015 HIV estimations in India

Background & objectives: Evidence-based planning has been the cornerstone of India's response to HIV/AIDS. Here we describe the process, method and tools used for generating the 2015 HIV estimates and provide a summary of the main results. Methods: Spectrum software supported by the UNAIDS was used to produce HIV estimates for India as a whole and its States/Union Territories. This tool takes into consideration the size and HIV prevalence of defined population groups and programme data to estimate HIV prevalence, incidence and mortality over time as well as treatment needs. Results: India's national adult prevalence of HIV was 0.26 per cent in 2015. Of the 2.1 million people living with HIV/AIDS, the largest numbers were in Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra and Karnataka. New HIV infections were an estimated 86,000 in 2015, reflecting a decline by around 32 per cent from 2007. The declining trend in incidence was mirrored in most States, though an increasing trend was detected in Assam, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh. AIDS-related deaths were estimated to be 67,600 in 2015, reflecting a 54 per cent decline from 2007. There were variations in the rate and trend of decline across India for this indicator also. Interpretation & conclusions: While key indicators measured through Spectrum modelling confirm success of the National AIDS Control Programme, there is no room for complacency as rising incidence trends in some geographical areas and population pockets remain the cause of concern. Progress achieved so far in responding to HIV/AIDS needs to be sustained to end the HIV epidemic