BENGALURU: Four days ago, Surekha Deepak was forced to give birth on the road outside Aurad Taluk hospital in Bidar district. What happened  in the northern tip of the state can happen in the state capital with only one Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) available to track the maternal health of 30,000 population. The ideal ratio is 1:10,000.

About 155 ANM posts are vacant in Bengaluru. According to Union Health Ministry’s guidelines, ANMs should register every pregnancy within 12 weeks and track the pregnant women by name for provision of quality antenatal care, skilled birth attendance and postnatal services. They should ensure four antenatal  (ANC) visits, give them two doses of tetanus and iron folic acid supplements. They should also test the blood for haemoglobin, urine for sugar, blood pressure, check protein and weight at every visit.

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