Does the Janani Suraksha Yojana cash transfer programme to promote facility births in India ensure skilled birth attendance? A qualitative study of intrapartum care in Madhya Pradesh

Background: Access to facility delivery in India has significantly increased with the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) cash transfer programme to promote facility births. However, a decline in maternal mortality has only followed secular trends as seen from the beginning of the decade well before the pr...

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Main Authors: Sarika Chaturvedi, Ayesha De Costa, Joanna Raven
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2015-07-01
Series:Global Health Action
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.globalhealthaction.net/index.php/gha/article/view/27427/pdf_95
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author Sarika Chaturvedi
Ayesha De Costa
Joanna Raven
author_facet Sarika Chaturvedi
Ayesha De Costa
Joanna Raven
author_sort Sarika Chaturvedi
collection DOAJ
description Background: Access to facility delivery in India has significantly increased with the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) cash transfer programme to promote facility births. However, a decline in maternal mortality has only followed secular trends as seen from the beginning of the decade well before the programme began. We, therefore, examined the quality of intrapartum care provided in facilities under the JSY programme to study whether it ensures skilled attendance at birth. Design: 1) Non-participant observations (n=18) of intrapartum care during vaginal deliveries at a representative sample of 11 facilities in Madhya Pradesh to document what happens during intrapartum care. 2) Interviews (n=10) with providers to explore reasons for this care. Thematic framework analysis was used. Results: Three themes emerged from the data: 1) delivery environment is chaotic: delivery rooms were not conducive to safe, women-friendly care provision, and coordination between providers was poor. 2) Staff do not provide skilled care routinely: this emerged from observations that monitoring was limited to assessment of cervical dilatation, lack of readiness to provide key elements of care, and the execution of harmful/unnecessary practices coupled with poor techniques. 3) Dominant staff, passive recipients: staff sometimes threatened, abused, or ignored women during delivery; women were passive and accepted dominance and disrespect. Attendants served as ‘go-betweens’ patients and providers. The interviews with providers revealed their awareness of the compromised quality of care, but they were constrained by structural problems. Positive practices were also observed, including companionship during childbirth and women mobilising in the early stages of labour. Conclusions: Our observational study did not suggest an adequate level of skilled birth attendance (SBA). The findings reveal insufficiencies in the health system and organisational structures to provide an ‘enabling environment’ for SBA. We highlight the need to ensure quality obstetric care prior to increasing coverage of facility births if cash transfer programmes like the JSY are to improve health outcomes.
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spelling doaj.art-2a340879d38c4b03b3604cf9386bbf2f2022-12-21T19:28:09ZengTaylor & Francis GroupGlobal Health Action1654-98802015-07-018011310.3402/gha.v8.2742727427Does the Janani Suraksha Yojana cash transfer programme to promote facility births in India ensure skilled birth attendance? A qualitative study of intrapartum care in Madhya PradeshSarika Chaturvedi0Ayesha De Costa1Joanna Raven2 Department of Public Health and Environment, R D Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, India Department of Public Health and Environment, R D Gardi Medical College, Ujjain, India Department of International Public Health, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UKBackground: Access to facility delivery in India has significantly increased with the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) cash transfer programme to promote facility births. However, a decline in maternal mortality has only followed secular trends as seen from the beginning of the decade well before the programme began. We, therefore, examined the quality of intrapartum care provided in facilities under the JSY programme to study whether it ensures skilled attendance at birth. Design: 1) Non-participant observations (n=18) of intrapartum care during vaginal deliveries at a representative sample of 11 facilities in Madhya Pradesh to document what happens during intrapartum care. 2) Interviews (n=10) with providers to explore reasons for this care. Thematic framework analysis was used. Results: Three themes emerged from the data: 1) delivery environment is chaotic: delivery rooms were not conducive to safe, women-friendly care provision, and coordination between providers was poor. 2) Staff do not provide skilled care routinely: this emerged from observations that monitoring was limited to assessment of cervical dilatation, lack of readiness to provide key elements of care, and the execution of harmful/unnecessary practices coupled with poor techniques. 3) Dominant staff, passive recipients: staff sometimes threatened, abused, or ignored women during delivery; women were passive and accepted dominance and disrespect. Attendants served as ‘go-betweens’ patients and providers. The interviews with providers revealed their awareness of the compromised quality of care, but they were constrained by structural problems. Positive practices were also observed, including companionship during childbirth and women mobilising in the early stages of labour. Conclusions: Our observational study did not suggest an adequate level of skilled birth attendance (SBA). The findings reveal insufficiencies in the health system and organisational structures to provide an ‘enabling environment’ for SBA. We highlight the need to ensure quality obstetric care prior to increasing coverage of facility births if cash transfer programmes like the JSY are to improve health outcomes.http://www.globalhealthaction.net/index.php/gha/article/view/27427/pdf_95observationsmidwiferyJSYIndiaskilled birth attendancequality of carehospital birthcash transfersqualitative research
spellingShingle Sarika Chaturvedi
Ayesha De Costa
Joanna Raven
Does the Janani Suraksha Yojana cash transfer programme to promote facility births in India ensure skilled birth attendance? A qualitative study of intrapartum care in Madhya Pradesh
Global Health Action
observations
midwifery
JSY
India
skilled birth attendance
quality of care
hospital birth
cash transfers
qualitative research
title Does the Janani Suraksha Yojana cash transfer programme to promote facility births in India ensure skilled birth attendance? A qualitative study of intrapartum care in Madhya Pradesh
title_full Does the Janani Suraksha Yojana cash transfer programme to promote facility births in India ensure skilled birth attendance? A qualitative study of intrapartum care in Madhya Pradesh
title_fullStr Does the Janani Suraksha Yojana cash transfer programme to promote facility births in India ensure skilled birth attendance? A qualitative study of intrapartum care in Madhya Pradesh
title_full_unstemmed Does the Janani Suraksha Yojana cash transfer programme to promote facility births in India ensure skilled birth attendance? A qualitative study of intrapartum care in Madhya Pradesh
title_short Does the Janani Suraksha Yojana cash transfer programme to promote facility births in India ensure skilled birth attendance? A qualitative study of intrapartum care in Madhya Pradesh
title_sort does the janani suraksha yojana cash transfer programme to promote facility births in india ensure skilled birth attendance a qualitative study of intrapartum care in madhya pradesh
topic observations
midwifery
JSY
India
skilled birth attendance
quality of care
hospital birth
cash transfers
qualitative research
url http://www.globalhealthaction.net/index.php/gha/article/view/27427/pdf_95
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