LaQshya Programme - Scheme for Labour Room Quality Improvement

LaQshya Programme – Government of India launched LaQshya – Labour Room Quality Improvement Initiative, to improve quality of care in the labour room and maternity operation theatres in public health facilities.

LaQshya scheme is an important topic with regards to different competitive exams. Questions based on LaQshya programme can be framed under the general awareness section of various Government exams. 

Facts related to LaQshya scheme given in the article which will be beneficial for candidates preparing for the IAS Exam as well. They might encounter a question on the scheme under the Prelims and General Studies Paper I of UPSC examination.

LaQshya Programme – Background

1. After the launch of the National Health Mission (NHM), there has been a substantial increase in the number of institutional deliveries. Details on the National Health Mission can be found on the link given here.
2. The percentage of institutional births in India has doubled from 38.7% to 78.9% in the decade 2015-16, according to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS). However, this increase in number has not resulted in a commensurate reduction of maternal and newborn mortality and stillbirths. One of the major factors being inadequacies in the quality of care provided in health facilities.
3. It is estimated that approximately 46% maternal deaths, over 40% stillbirths and 25% of under-5 deaths take place on the day of the delivery. Half of the maternal death each year can be prevented if we provide higher quality health care.
4. Quality of care is increasingly recognized as a critical aspect of the unfinished maternal and newborn health agenda, mainly with respect to care around labour and delivery and in the immediate postnatal period.
5. The current figures of maternal mortality ratio of 130 and neonatal mortality rate of 24 suggest that though there has been tremendous improvement in maternal newborn healthcare indicators, a transformational change in the processes related to the care during the delivery, which essentially relates to intrapartum and immediate postpartum care, is required to achieve the targets set for our country.

Hence, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has launched the program LaQshya – quality improvement initiative in labour room & maternity OT, aimed at improving quality of care for mothers and newborn during the intrapartum and immediate postpartum period.

LaQshya Scheme – Overview

1. The ambitious program LaQshya is launched by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India.
2. LaQshya initiative was launched on 11th December 2017.
3. It’s a multipronged approach focused on Intrapartum and the immediate postpartum period.
4. LaQshya program will benefit every pregnant woman and new-born delivering in public health institutions. The program will improve quality of care for pregnant women in the labour room, maternity Operation Theatre and Obstetrics Intensive Care Units (ICUs) & High Dependency Units (HDUs).
5. Following facilities are being taken under LaQshya initiative on priority-
   • Facilities by all Government Medical College hospitals, all District Hospitals & equivalent healthy facilities and all designated FRUs and high caseload CHCs with over 100 deliveries/60 (per month) in hills and desert areas.
6. Quality Improvement in the labour room and maternity OT will be assessed through NQAS (National Quality Assurance Standards). The medical institutions scoring more than 80% satisfied beneficiaries will be provided with an incentive of INR 6 lakhs, INR.3 lakhs and INR 2 lakhs for Medical College Hospital, District Hospital and FRUs respectively.
7. LaQshya in support of digital innovation launched apps like – LaQshya Web portal and Safe Delivery App.

Candidates can go through other schemes by government for the welfare of pregnant women and new-born-

To know more about other Government Schemes visit the linked article.

LaQshya Programme – Objectives

1. Reduce maternal and newborn morbidity and mortality because of retained placenta, preterm, haemorrhage, preeclampsia and eclampsia, obstructed labour, puerperal sepsis, newborn asphyxia, and newborn sepsis, etc.
2. Improve the quality of care during delivery and the immediate post-partum period.
3. Stabilization of complications and ensure timely referrals, and enable an effective two-way follow-up system.
4. Enhance satisfaction of beneficiaries, positive birthing experience and provide Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) to all pregnant women attending public health facilities.

LaQshya Scheme – Aim 

The aim of LaQshya programme is to reduce preventable maternal and newborn mortality, morbidity and stillbirths associated with the care around delivery in the Labour Room and Maternity Operation Theatre and ensure respectful maternity care. Know more on Maternal & Neonatal Tetanus on the given link. 

Know the Major difference between Morbidity and Mortality on the linked article. 

LaQshya Programme – Features

1. LaQshya program envisages improving the quality of care in the labour room and maternity OT.
2. Under the initiative, the multi-pronged strategy has been adopted such as upgrading infrastructure, ensuring the availability of essential equipment, providing adequate Human Resources, capacity building of health care workers and improving quality processes in the labour room.
3. Implementation of ‘fast-track’ interventions (NQAS assessment, Training, Mentoring, Reviews etc.)
4. Capacity-building of healthcare workers by skill-based training like Dakshta & improving quality processes in the labour room.
5. To strengthen critical care in Obstetrics, dedicated Obstetric ICUs at Medical College Hospital level and Obstetric HDUs at District Hospital are operationalized under LaQshya program.

LaQshya Programme – Strategies

The Institutional Arrangement of LaQshya initiative spans at four levels-

• National Level – Under the National Health Mission, the States have been supported in creating Institutional framework for the Quality AssuranceState Quality Assurance Committee (SQAC), District Quality Assurance Committee (DQAC), and Quality Team at the facility level. The members of the Programme Divisions, IEC Division, AIIMS, and Medical Colleges, Nursing Colleges, Schools of Public Health, etc. 
• State-level – this includes faculty of AIIMS and other eminent National Institutions and Medical Education Department, State Nodal Officers for Quality.
• District level- Coaching Team- An external multidisciplinary team, responsible for mentoring one or more labour rooms, would one or more retired faculty members as a coach for medical college labour rooms and operation theatre

LaQshya Scheme – Way forward

• New innovations for escalating quality of health care services for mothers & newborn.
• Increased satisfaction of beneficiaries and positive Birthing experience.
• Increased demand for services from beneficiaries of public health facilities.
• LaQshya certification of all health facilities.
• Sustained efforts to achieve SDG targets and goals related to maternal newborn health.
• Maintain and accelerate unprecedented progress – end all preventable maternal, newborn and child deaths.

Other Related Links –

Aspirants preparing for the UPSC exam can check the links given below –

1. IAS 2022
2. UPSC Calendar 2022
3. UPSC Syllabus
4. Analysis of the Press Information Bureau

You can also check out the preparation strategies for competitive exams to fine-tune your exam prep.