Impact paper on maternal, child health and nutrition in Madhya Pradesh

Saloni Sidana; Archana Mishra; Himani Yadav; Keshav Sahani; Bijayalaxmi Panda; Chandrika Bahadur

doi:10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20263700

Authors

Saloni Sidana National Health Mission, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, India
Archana Mishra Maternal Health, National Health Mission, Madhya Pradesh, India
Himani Yadav Child Health, National Health Mission, Madhya Pradesh, India
Keshav Sahani Digital Health, The Antara Foundation, New Delhi, India
Bijayalaxmi Panda The Antara Foundation, New Delhi, India https://orcid.org/0009-0002-3689-3165
Chandrika Bahadur The Antara Foundation, New Delhi, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20263700

Keywords:

Maternal health, Newborn health, Health system strengthening, Nurse mentoring, Government health programmes, Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

Background: Improving maternal, newborn, child health and nutrition (MNCHN) outcomes has been a sustained priority for the Government of Madhya Pradesh, particularly in high-burden districts, and the state has implemented various flagship schemes and programmes to strengthen public health systems and service delivery. As part of this effort, the Government launched the Akshita Programme with The Antara Foundation in 2019 to strengthen service delivery across nine districts. This study assessed the Programme's contribution to select MNCHN outcomes.

Methods: This longitudinal descriptive analysis compared trends across 38 intervention and 25 comparison blocks using Health Management Information System (HMIS) and programme data, analysed through a program-year (PY) framework (PY-1 to PY+4). Provider competency was assessed in 818 sub-health centres (Auxiliary Nurse Midwives and Community Health Officers) and 111 health facilities (staff nurses).

Results: Intervention areas demonstrated greater reductions in stillbirth, very early neonatal mortality and late neonatal mortality than comparison areas. Early antenatal registration rose from 65% to 90%, four antenatal care check-ups from 73% to 101%, intrapartum complication identification from 23% to 53% and home-based postnatal care coverage from 41% to 90%. Sub-health centres with strong technical knowledge scores increased from 2% to 25% while 97% of assessed facilities showed gains in staff nurse knowledge and skills. Low birthweight prevalence showed no meaningful improvement.

Conclusions: Strengthening frontline health systems through worker coordination, capacity building and nurse mentoring was associated with improved maternal and newborn outcomes. Persistent low birthweight underscores the need for targeted maternal nutrition interventions and stronger health–nutrition convergence.

Author Biographies

Archana Mishra, Maternal Health, National Health Mission, Madhya Pradesh, India

Senior Joint Director, Maternal Health, National Health Mission, Madhya Pradesh, India

Himani Yadav, Child Health, National Health Mission, Madhya Pradesh, India

Deputy Director, Child Health, National Health Mission, Madhya Pradesh, India

Keshav Sahani, Digital Health, The Antara Foundation, New Delhi, India

Chief Strategy Officer – Digital Health, The Antara Foundation, New Delhi, India

Bijayalaxmi Panda, The Antara Foundation, New Delhi, India

State Lead – Partnerships, The Antara Foundation, New Delhi, India

Chandrika Bahadur, The Antara Foundation, New Delhi, India

CEO, The Antara Foundation, New Delhi, India

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