AAPI to pay cash to promote institutional deliveries in India

Washington, June 13 (PTI) American Association of
Physicians of Indian Origin (AAPI) has said it would launch a
pilot project in Delhi, under which the organisation would
give cash to the slum dwellers for institutional deliveries.

According to AAPI officials here, the project which would
encourage slum dwellers to get admitted to hospitals and
nursing homes for safe deliveries, is in advance stage of
being finalised and would be launched in association with the
Municipal Corporation of Delhi, the Central Government and
local private health care agencies.

Briefing participants of 27th annual AAPI meet, Dr Vimal
Goyal, co-chair of its maternal health care, said pilot
project if successful would be extended to India's rural
areas.

Observing that the maternal mortality rate in India is
very high, she said there is a need to provide incentives to
poor people of the country to have safe deliveries.

"In Delhi there are a lot of poor people in the slum
where institutional deliveries are not carried out. We are
putting a pilot project together to encourage those people and
train mid-wives to carry out the labour process," Goyal said.

The pilot project has two components, she said.

One, mother would be paid cash to come and deliver in the
institutional facilities. Secondly, workers of on-governmental
organizations too would be paid cash on a case to case basis
to motivate mothers to deliver babies in health facilities.
PTI