Abstract
Due to ineffective management, the attainment of the maternal health goals by the primary healthcare in the state of Odisha turns out to be a great challenge. Hence, it is imperative for the government to come up with various interventions with an effective implementation of the digital solutions to bring down the fatalities during pregnancy and childbirth. The researchers through this study have attempted to identify the variation in the usage and accessibility of maternal and child healthcare services among the marginalized groups of Northern and Central Zones of Odisha and have also highlighted the impacts of the digital transformation and their subsequent challenges. The researchers have utilized a mixed approach for the attainment of the objectives. Based on the findings of the study, the policymakers and health strategists may focus on improvising the management of the maternal health resources and facilities meant for the maternal healthcare across the masses to bring down the maternal mortality and morbidity rate of Odisha.
TopIntroduction
“Motherhood is the greatest thing and the hardest thing.” – Ricki Lake
Motherhood is a joyous moment for every mother, especially seeing a newborn in one’s arms, which is the right of every woman. But, for women in underdeveloped countries, it turns out to be a painful experience. This painful experience may further lead to dreaded maternal deaths if unattended which increases maternal mortality and morbidity. As per World Health Organization (WHO), “Maternal Mortality” means – “the annual number of female fatalities taking place during pregnancy and child delivery, or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, which may be for any cause connected to pregnancy (excluding accidental or incidental causes), independent of the duration and location of the pregnancy”. Though India has achieved tremendous progress in lowering maternal and child mortality, it still fell short of its health objectives. The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India has decreased to 113 in the period 2016 – 18 from the ratio of 122 in the period 2015 – 17 (WHO, 2010).
Odisha is one of the five states that had a notable drop in MMR throughout this time. For two years, Odisha saw a 14-point decline in maternal mortality rates against the national average of 10 points. The maternal mortality rate (MMR) has decreased from 150 per one lakh live births in 2016-18 to 136 (Sample Registration System, 2017-19).
The state saw roughly 85.4 percent institutional delivery in 2015, and since then has seen improvements (NFHS-4, 2015 – 16). Despite a large increase in institutional deliveries, transporting pregnant women to hospitals remains a gargantuan task in many isolated areas due to a lack of all-weather roads. It has also been discovered that among Odisha's 30 districts, the four tribal-populated districts of Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Malkangiri, and Nabarangpur have a greater prevalence (about 70%) of anemic women. This might be attributed to a lack of health education in the community.
World Health Organization have highlighted that numerous such deaths of women of their reproductive age are due to various complications identified during pregnancy or after that. As indicated by a report provided by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, sepsis due to contamination, hemorrhage during the post-partum period, unsafe mode of abortions, anemia as well as malaria have been considered the most probable reasons for maternal deaths in India. (RGI - CGHR, 2005) Complications related to maternal deaths and other problems arise due to a lack of timely information and prevention. These problems and their related complications can be averted when information is provided on time through digital interventions. Countries across the globe have been working towards effective management meant for the delivery of maternal health services at the primary healthcare level through several initiatives. Because of it, nowadays health institutions realize the importance of digital transformation in enhancing health care, especially in maternal health-related services. Digital health should be an important component of health priorities, benefiting people in an ethical, safe, secure, equal, and sustainable manner.
Digital Transformation is not confined to technological expenditures; it is far more than that. However, it leads to changes in organizational culture, employee engagement, and enterprise-wide participation. This turns out to be a herculean task for the industry. Hence, the implementation of digital interventions in the healthcare and pharmaceutical business has been moving at a tardy pace. According to a recent survey, it has been observed that just 7% of healthcare and pharmaceutical firms have gone digital, compared to 15% of companies in other industries (Reddy, 2022). Despite significant progress, some countries still require institutional support for the development and consolidation of national digital health strategies, as well as the implementation of their action plans, which typically necessitates additional resources and capabilities leading to a “Digital Divide”.
Key Terms in this Chapter
m-Health: It is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the use of mobile and wireless technology to aid in the attainment of health goals and may be used to encourage healthy habits and improve health systems. The demand for M-Health has been discovered to be greater in developing nations than in established economies.
Electronic Health Records: Electronic health records (EHRs) are a digitally stored system of patient data. “An Electronic Health Record is a patient's long-term record of his or her interactions with various healthcare institutions and episodes of care” (Ramanathan, 2014 AU51: The in-text citation "Ramanathan, 2014" is not in the reference list. Please correct the citation, add the reference to the list, or delete the citation. ). It allows patients' data to be shared for patient care, decision-making, planning, and research.
Telemedicine: The delivery of health care services by all health care professionals using information and communication technologies for the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of disease and injuries, research and evaluation, and continuing education of health care providers. Its application focuses on removing various distance-related constraints and improving medical care accessibility Public Health Informatics through Digital and Social Connectivity: It is a methodical use of the Digital and Social platform for goals such as conception, design and development, implementation, maintenance, and assessment of various health parameters. Many maternity websites and Digital conversation platforms have been able to provide pregnant women with various resources and tools to help them prepare for their pregnancy.