Maternal health outcomes following the implementation of Janani Shishu Suraksha Yojana (JS']JSSY) at a tertiary healthcare center in Rajasthan

Objectives: To assess the impact of the Janani Shishu Suraksha Yojana (JSSY) initiative on maternal health in terms of the number of prenatal checkup registrations, institutional deliveries, and maternal deaths. The aim of JSSY was to reduce maternal and infant mortality by promoting institutional delivery. Methodology: The present retrospective descriptive study included data from all institutional deliveries that occurred at the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Mahila Chikitsalaya, SMS Medical College Jaipur, India, both before (between January 1, 2008, and December 31, 2011) and after the implementation of JSSY (between January 1, 2012, and December 31, 2015). Numbers of prenatal outpatient department registrations, institutional deliveries, and maternal deaths per year were compared between the periods using the Mann-Whitney U test. Results: Increases in the mean number of prenatal outpatient department registrations (P=0.021) and institutional deliveries (P=0.021) were recorded following the implementation of JSSY; a non-significant decrease in the maternal mortality ratio was also observed (P=0.248). Conclusion: JSSY appeared to be an effective program in improving maternal health;use of prenatal care and institutional deliveries increased following itsimplementation.