White Paper Title : Analysis of Janani Shishu Surakhsa Karyakram Program

Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) Program is a new initiative of

Government of India (GOI) that entitles all pregnant women delivering in Public
Health Institution to free medicines , supplements , essential and desirable
investigations and diet for first 3 days after delivery .It also provides free treatment
to sick born up to 30 days and blood transfusion on need basis. Facility of free
transport from home to institution is also being provided by the state for mother
and child.
This Program was started by GOI in July 2011,inorder to achieve the target
specified under Millennium Development Goal (MDG) Four of reducing under five
mortality rate (U5MR) by two third and MDG Five of reducing Maternal Mortality
Rate (MMR) by three quarter set by the United Nations by 2015.
JSSK program is a very novel scheme introduced by the GOI for attaining targets
under MDG Four and Five. Analysis of data provided by Yojana , October 2012 Issue
, shows that there has been significant drop in both U5MR and MMR. The
government of the day has gone into self congratulatory mode and has widely
published its achievement in electronic and print media. The same issue however
also points out that the awareness about this program among the pregnant women
living in villages is very less. It has also been pointed out that in some districts the
government health officials are also not fully aware about the various aspects of the
program. There have also been reports from some districts of Orissa and Bihar of
wrong reporting of beneficiaries.
The government thus at this juncture should not be applauding itself about the
reduced MMR and U5MR .It should rather take in steps to provide awareness
through media about the program among the pregnant women living in the
remotest areas. It should also train its health employees about the various aspects
of the program. The government in conjunction with states should form local
regulatory bodies to monitor the proper implementation of program and check any
malpractices that might be prevailing in a particular area. This program can only be
said to be successful when the poorest and the most underprivileged have been
able to reap in benefits and that we are able to achieve the targets set up by the UN
MDG within time. Any laudation by the state or its agency till then will be
premature.