Over 1,000 frontline maternal healthcare workers will be trained in Karnataka over the next one year to provide quality healthcare to pregnant women, mothers, and new-born babies. The training will be in accordance with the standards set by the WHO and the Union government, as part of Vision 2022 Skill India.
The training, to be taken up by Bengaluru-based Asian Research and Training Institute for Skill Transfer (ARTIST for Her) at a cost of ₹1 crore, will be carried out in association with the Healthcare Sector Skill Council (HSSC) and the Association of Healthcare Providers India (AHPI).
A tripartite agreement was signed between the three associations on Tuesday, to train one million frontline healthcare workers across the country.
Speaking about this initiative, Hema Divakar, chair of Well Woman Healthcare Committee at FIGO (International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics) and chairperson of ARTIST for Her, said a pilot initiative had been rolled out in Karnataka with the support of AHPI.
“The initiative will be extended in a phased manner in Tamil Nadu, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, and later to the rest of the country,” she said.
“For the 30 million deliveries in India, the proportion of healthcare workers with skills specified by WHO is weak. It is our target to raise the availability of this pool of skilled workforce to be placed in maternity units, public or private hospitals to care for pregnant mothers, new-born babies, or post-delivery stage in alignment with WHO and government standards. This will go a long way in reducing maternal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, and also address long-term issues, such as anemia, obesity, and hypertension,” she explained.
AHPI president Alexander Thomas said as part of the agreement, AHPI will train 15,000 healthcare workers on priority and subsequently cover it in phases to reach one million.
