Kanak, a young mother who delivered for the second time in the District Hospital Raipur, Chhattisgarh says, “This time during the birth of my second child in the hospital, nurses in the facility were very helpful and comforting. They even allowed my sister to enter the labor room during the delivery, which made me feel supported. Curtains and screens in the labor ensured a private space for me. Everything was neat, clean and orderly.”
USAID supported project ‘Vriddhi Scaling up RMNCH+A interventions’ has been supporting the District Hospital Raipur to improve their quality of care, to identify gaps and bridge them.
Manisha Mishra, a labor room in-charge says, “We did know how to improve our labor room quality, the challenges were many. Project Vriddhi helped us take a systematic approach, to assess the situation, prioritize problems and find solutions. Staff were mentored on care of mothers and newborns to build their confidence, we improved our infection control and sterilization practices. We worked with the hospital administration to ensure availability of adequate resources (e.g. labor table, curtains etc.). Most importantly, we now find time and opportunities to practice respectful maternity care. These small yet significant changes in the way we manage our labor room and engage with mothers in labor has resulted in better birthing experiences for them.”