Anujabasini Mohanty at the Tikanali Public Health Centre in Kandhamal. Telegraph picture

Bhubaneswar, March 29: Anujabasini Mohanty is a little known staff nurse at the Tikanali Public Health Centre in Kandhamal district. However, her amazing command over obstetric care has catapulted her to international exposure at Bangkok in Thailand, with a sponsorship of World Health Organisation.

Overwhelmed with her knowledge about obstetric care, Himanshu Bhusan, assistant commissioner, ministry of health and family welfare — who had landed at the Tikanali centre as part of an official tour — immediately recommended her for the trip.

Mohanty would be sharing her experience at the international forum, said a senior officer from the department of health and family welfare.

Not just Mohanty, a good number of ‘skilled birth attendants’ in the state are playing a critical role to reduce infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternal mortality ratio (MMR) during antenatal, natal and post-natal period because of the initiatives of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

Committed to reduce the MMR to less than 100 per 1 lakh live births by 2012 from the current MMR of 303, the state government has taken a policy decision that all deliveries must be attended by ‘skilled birth attendants’ either at institution level or at household level.

The NRHM has taken steps for skill building training of auxiliary nurse midwife and staff nurses for handling basic obstetric care and common complications including essential newborn care and resuscitation services. Keeping in view the high IMR of 65 per 1,000 live birth and MMR of 303 per 1 lakh live births, the NRHM has launched 21 days hands-on training to create ‘skilled birth attendants’ at sub-centre, public health centre, community health centre and other facilities since July, 2007.

Till now, 3,326 auxiliary nurse midwife, 2318 staff nurses and 1,147 Ayush (ayurveda, yoga, unani, siddha and homoeopathy) doctors have been trained as ‘skilled birth attendants’.

A total of 6,791 skilled birth attendants are providing quality antenatal care, natal care, post-natal care and newborn care at the institution and domiciliary level. Further, Orissa is the only state in the country where Ayush doctors are imparted 21 days hands-on training in skilled attendance at birth.

Most of the Ayush doctors are conducting normal delivery at the institution level.The ministry of health and family welfare in collaboration with Indian Council of Medical Research, New Delhi is slated to visit Orissa soon to document the success of ‘skilled birth attendants’ training of Ayush doctors, for its replication in other states.