LaQshya Scheme
Why in News?
The Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel, provided a comprehensive update in the Lok Sabha on March 27, 2026, regarding the state-wise certification status of public health facilities.
About
- Launched on December 11, 2017, by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
- Full name: Labour Room Quality Improvement Initiative (LaQshya), focusing on intrapartum and immediate postpartum periods.
- Targets public facilities like Government Medical College Hospitals, District Hospitals, First Referral Units (FRUs), and high caseload Community Health Centres (CHCs).
- Improves care in labour rooms, maternity Operation Theatres (OTs), Obstetrics ICUs, and High Dependency Units (HDUs).
Key Features
- Infrastructure upgrades, essential equipment provision, and human resource strengthening.
- Skill-based training (Dakshta) for healthcare workers and process improvements in labour rooms.
- Targets include ≤5% Surgical Site Infection Rate in Maternity OTs or 30% reduction from baseline, verified during NQAS assessment.
- Operationalizes dedicated Obstetric HDUs/ICUs; 283 approved across high-caseload facilities as of recent updates.
Objectives
- Reduce maternal and newborn morbidity/mortality from issues like haemorrhage, preeclampsia, obstructed labour, sepsis, and asphyxia.
- Ensure quality care during delivery and postpartum, with stabilization of complications and timely referrals.
- Promote respectful maternity care (RMC), beneficiary satisfaction, and positive birthing experiences.
- Achieve certification via National Quality Assurance Standards (NQAS): 70%+ score for certification; Platinum (90%+), Gold (80%+), Silver (70%+) badges.
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