When health systems speak to each other, citizens benefit.
To ease the challenge of fragmented healthcare services in Uttar Pradesh, ACCESS Health International, a technical partner for the implementation of the Ayushman Bharat Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) in the state since 2018, collaborated with the State Agency for Comprehensive Health and Integrated Services (SACHIS) ( PMJAY-UP (Ayushman Uttar Pradesh)) and National Health Mission, Uttar Pradesh (NHM) to forge pathways for a seamless continuum of care for neonatal services under the scheme.
By bringing SACHIS (the nodal agency for Ayushman PM-JAY implementation in Uttar Pradesh) and NHM to the table, we aimed to engage Sick Newborn Care Units (SNCUs) instituted in district hospitals and medical colleges by the State Government to actively participate in the scheme and better serve PM-JAY families in need of neonatal care services. With the mission to increase the availability of neonatal services for citizens, an orientation workshop on the scheme was held on November 20 in Lucknow, during National Newborn Week, for SNCU staff across Uttar Pradesh
Presided over by Archana Verma, CEO, SACHIS and Dr Milind Wardhan, General Manager, Child Health, NHM UP, the workshop was attended by over 100 SNCU doctors, staff nurses, medical officers, and Pradhan Mantri Arogya Mitras (PMAMs)-many of whom joined virtually as well. Sessions led by the team at ACCESS Health International, including Himani Sethi Global Director of Programs, and Dr Rahul Katiyar, Medical Specialist, gave a keen understanding of the scheme and its provisions for neonatal care to SNCU staff, encouraging them to take up the mandate of Ayushman PM-JAY more actively at their facilities.
The workshop also provided a platform for field-level health functionaries to help identify challenges that can hinder smooth service delivery. The key barriers highlighted by SNCU staff ranged from a lack of coordination between clinical staff and PMAMs and improper documentation to logistical challenges in transferring neonates from public facilities to empanelled private ones.
Hearing the frontline health staff offered a fresh perspective on how PM-JAY families seeking neonatal care potentially experience the scheme, presenting an opportunity for SACHIS and NHM to further collaborate alongside their technical partners.
On the occasion of #NationalNewbornWeek, the orientation workshop served as a renewed pledge by SACHIS, NHM, and ACCESS Health International to work steadfastly to improve neonatal health outcomes in Uttar Pradesh; and prove that public health success is rooted in systems that are in sync at every level.