Gaps in facilities available at Community Health Centers/Rural Hospitals as per Indian public health standards - Study from Western Maharashtra.

BACKGROUND: The launch of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) gives us the opportunity to review the functioning and bring up the Community Health Centers (CHC) services to the level of Indian Public Health Standards and thus improve the lives of citizens. OBJECTIVES: Assessment of the gaps in the facilities available at Community health centers/Rural hospitals as per Indian Public health standards. METHODS: Facility based cross-sectional study was conducted in the Satara district of Maharashtra. RESULTS: This study in the majority showed that the gap in the delivery of healthcare according to IPHS. It was observed that the Funded CHCs had a better quality of services than the non-funded CHCs. The non-funded CHCs lacked essential emergency services. Along with ANC care, newborn care in the first few minutes of life is very crucial, but very little priority was given to the newborn care as those services were not as per norms. Specialists as well as paramedical and other support staff are deficient in both funded and non funded CHCs/rural hospitals (RHs). CONCLUSION: Standards were greatly influenced by funds delivered by IPHS itself. A staffing pattern is one of the important pillars in delivering various health services. A better salary, working place with continuous water supply, electricity, and cleanliness will improve the staffing pattern. Therefore, competent manpower and well-built infrastructure will help in the standard delivery of healthcare at CHC/RH and will thus serve the purpose of dispensing basic health services to every individual in the remotest areas.

Study to Assess Birth Preparedness and Complication Readiness to Promote Safe Motherhood among Women from a Rural Area of Western Maharashtra.

BACKGROUND: Promotion of maternal health should be an integrated approach comprising adequate planning of pregnancy coupled with the awareness of the available maternal and child health services and its utilization. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to determine birth preparedness and complication readiness (BPACR) among antenatal and postnatal women and to assess the factors related to it. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 antenatal and postnatal women attending a tertiary care hospital of Karad. Antenatal women in their third trimester and postnatal women up to Postnatal day-7 were included. Institutional ethical clearance was obtained before the commencement of the study. All the women were interviewed after their informed consent using the appropriately validated and modified BPACR tool developed with respect to the Indian setup. Chi-square and multivariate logistic regression analysis were carried out to determine the various associated factors with BPACR. RESULTS: The study population comprised 55.5% antenatal mothers and 44.5% postnatal mothers. The BPACR index was found to be 59.56, and the maximum had a good BPACR 208 (52%). There was poor knowledge regarding blood transfusion, danger signs, and available community resources. A higher level of education had a statistically significant association with BPACR (46.2%) in women educated above high school). Women belonging to the upper class had two times, and postnatal women had 2.02 times increased chances for a good BPACR. CONCLUSION: An inclusion of components related to BPACR during pregnancy will improve timely and adequate access to healthcare, better management of complications, and thereby improve both maternal and fetal outcomes.

Field Testing of Second Generation of Colour-Coded Rings for Detecting Slow Progress of Labour at Rural Health Centres.

INTRODUCTION: An innovative appropriate technological tool of colour-coded rings based on cervicographic principles was developed to monitor deliveries. OBJECTIVES: To study efficacy, feasibility and acceptability of colour-coded rings for monitoring active phase of labour. MATERIALS AND METHODS: All consecutive deliveries occurring at selected primary health centres from Pune, Satara and Kolhapur Districts of Maharashtra, during 15 months period were included in the study and matched control groups. Training of medical officers and nurses from both study and control area was undertaken in routine natal and post-natal care. In addition, training of use of colour-coded rings was given to health workers from the study area. RESULTS: There were 6705 live births from study area and 6341 from control area. Perinatal mortality rate for study area was 15.9/1000 LB while that was 23.9/1000 LB for control area (p < 0.01). The cause-specific perinatal mortality due to birth asphyxia for the study area was 4.2/1000 LB while that was 8.5/1000 LB for control area (p = 0.0019). CONCLUSION: Higher use rate of colour-coded rings associated with reduction in cause-specific mortality rate due to birth asphyxia in study area indicated that use of colour-coded rings is effective, feasible and acceptable option to cervicography under field conditions.

Novel Rhodafluors: Synthesis, Photophysical, pH and TD-DFT Studies.

An efficient protocol for the synthesis of new rhodol derivatives has been developed. The synthesis involves condensation of 2-hydroxy benzophenone derivatives with 1, 3-dihydroxy benzene derivatives in solvents such as ionic liquid (N-methyl-2-pyrrolidonium hydrogen sulfate) and methane sulphonic acid. Both ionic liquid and methane sulphonic acid were found to be promising self-catalyzed solvents to bring out the conversion to form desired rhodols in excellent yields. In N-methyl-2-pyrrolidonium hydrogen sulfate reaction proceeds faster compared to methane sulphonic acid. The new fluorophores are investigated for their photophysical properties in various microenvironments and systematically characterized by means of density functional theory and time dependent density functional theory. Photophysical properties of the new rhodafluors found sensitive towards change in the pH of media and thus can be used as efficient pH sensors.