Bhubaneswar, Nov. 1: The Orissa government today launched the Janani Sishu Suraksha Karyakram to look after the health problem of the newborns and pregnant women.

The scheme aims to provide pregnant women with free and cashless medical service, including the cost of normal deliveries and caesarean operations. Moreover, free treatment will be provided to the sick newborns (up to 30 days after birth) in designated government health institutions in rural areas.

The programme will be implemented throughout Orissa in all the designated health institutions up to the block-level community health centre. However, the three medical colleges will not be covered under the scheme at this stage.

Moreover, entitlements under the scheme would include free drugs and consumables, free diagnostics, free diet during stay at the health institutions (three days in case of normal delivery and seven, in case of caesarean operation), free provision of blood, free transport from home to health institutions, free transport between health facilities in case of referral as also dropback from institutions to home after 48 hours stay.

Launching the scheme here today, health and family welfare minister Prasanna Acharya said: “More than 5 lakh women will be benefited by the scheme annually. The outlay for the yojana has exceeded Rs 100 crore per year for Orissa.”