Public satisfied with JSSK in Wokha district

The survey conducted under European Union (EU) funded project on “Improving access to information and delivery of public service schemes in remote and backward districts of NorthEast (NE) states of India” also found that 70% of the beneficiaries visit these facilities for delivery and 80% for ante-natal check-ups.

Carried out in the later part of 2015, the survey which covered 28 villages from two blocks of Wokha district also found that 60% of all beneficiaries saw advertisements related to JSSK in their respective PHCs even though only 50% of them were aware of their entitlements.

EU-funded project covers seven backward districts across five NE states, namely, Goalpara and Cachar in Assam, Ri-Bhoi in Meghalaya, Churachandpur and Chandel in Manipur, Lawngtlai in Mizoram, and Wokha in Nagaland. 

The project is being implemented by the Paris-based French NGO Agency for Technical Cooperation and Development (ACTED) along with Guwahati-based North East India Committee on Relief and Development (NEICORD) which in partnership with local NGO Team Metamorphosis (TM) is responsible for field implementation, Bangalore-based Public Affairs Center (PAC) which is tasked with the research component, and the Guwahati-based Nanda Talukdar Foundation (NTF) as its media advocacy component. The project seeks to achieve three main results-  to encourage demand for improved service delivery, improved access to and quality of public services particularly for the most marginalized and women, and to enhance transparency of service providers for 10 central government flagship schemes: IAY, JSSK, ICDS, MDM, MGNREGA, RKVY, NBA/TSC, RGGVY, NSAP, and TPDS.

JSSK was launched in June 2011 by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India under National Health Mission with an aim to encourage all pregnant women to deliver in Public Health Facilities to fulfil the commitment of achieving cent per cent institutional deliveries, and to help reduce Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR).

The scheme is estimated to benefit more than 12 million pregnant women who access Government health facilities for their delivery.

Under JSSK, all pregnant women going to government health institution for delivery and all sick infants (below one year of age) going to government health institutions for treatment are entitled to: free and zero expense delivery and caesarean section; free essential diagnostics (blood, urine tests and ultra-sonography, etc); free drugs and consumables; free diet during stay in health institutions (up to 3 days for normal delivery and 7 days for caesarean section); free provision of blood (on replacement basis); free transport from home to health institutions; free transport between facilities in case of referral; drop back from institutions to home after 48 hrs stay; exemption from all kinds of user charges; and diet for mothers during stay of sick children in hospital for 5 days.