Mangaluru: For the health of the child, it is vital to create the “Thayi Card” when the mother is pregnant itself. Staffs from the health department are visiting house-to-house spreading awareness regarding the ‘Thayi Card” and because of this, there is a good development in the registration for the card in DK district.
In the span of three years, 74,924 mothers in the district have registered for the thayi card and availed its benefits. The health department has also successfully provided the card to pregnant women thereby achieving a 100% rate success rate. Let this achievement continue in the future as well, say health officials.
13,908 thayi card
Around 30,664 mothers in the district registered for Thayi Card facility in 2017 – 2018, in 2018- 19 it was 30,352 and in 2019—20 until now, 13,908 mothers’ pregnant women have registered for the facility. The card has also been distributed to all mothers pregnant over 5 months.
After getting registered, they become eligible to get the Thayi card. A few others visit the Anganwadi themselves, get registered and avail the facility but in most cases, junior women health assistant or Asha workers get information regarding the existence of a pregnant woman in a house, visit the house and advise the mother to make a card. All 100% distribution of thayi card has been achieved in the district, a few people are apprehensive to make the card.
There are no guidelines restricting the card to APL or BPL grade. Even then, there are a few who chose ignorance by assuming that they do not need the facility. But nonetheless, information regarding the facility is provided to them with the aim to convince them to make a card, inform health department officials.
Since 2017-19, almost 30 – 35,000 pregnancies have occurred in DK district. Among them, almost 5% are from other districts, but the rest are all from within DK district. They were all registered for thayi card when they got pregnant itself. Those from other districts cannot register themselves for the thayi card here. Hence, the total number of pregnancies cannot be compared with the number of thayi cards.
Benefits of the government scheme
The Thayi card has been introduced to provide care for the mother and child under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and Comprehensive Child Development Program. The rules state that, it will be useful if the mother makes the card when she three months pregnant. The complete information regarding the mother and child will be mentioned in the card. The card is essential from the time of getting pregnant until the child reached to the age of 5 years. The card is also necessary to avail the benefits of various programmes including Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), Madilu kit scheme and Prasoothi Araike programme. The card is essential to provide vitamins, iron tablets and nutrient rich food to the baby after its birth, explain officials from the health department.
Comprehensive health of the child
DK district has achieved 100% in the registration for Thayi card and this will continue in future too. Staffs from the health department are visiting very rural areas as well and encouraging the mothers there to make the card. In the future too, every mother must come forward to make the card. This is very necessary from the perspective of the child’s health - Dr| Rajesh, RCH official
