Some Aspects of Maternal and Child Health Care among Khairwars of Madhya Pradesh

Maternal and child health care services in tribal areas, remained largely unsuccessful due to their prevailing beliefs, practices towards modern health system. Studies of factors associated with MCH initiated to take up a study on in-depth information of Khairwars of Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh. In-depth information obtained from RMRCT (ICMR) survey on pregnancy, antenatal care, delivery and postnatal care collected from 44 pregnant and lactating tribal women showed that most of them were illiterate, engaged in agriculture. Sex-ratio was not in favour of females. Low mean age at marriage, early Infant Mortality Rate and Maternal Mortality Rate levels are likely to be higher in the population. Women do not go for antenatal checkup, work hard in advanced stage of pregnancy and do not consume any special food. Traditional birth attendants mostly conduct delivery in lying condition at home and cut umbilical cord by unsterlized sickle. Water and food are not given to recently delivered mothers for initial three days. Breast-feeding starts from third day. Colostrum preferred to be discarded. Harmful practices should be discouraged and healthy practices needs to be encouraged among Khairwars through implementation of IEC by educating them to promote MCH including child immunization.