Update on KCR Kits scheme

The KCR Kits scheme, launched to encourage deliveries in State-run healthcare institutions, is continuing to break new ground in the field of Mother and Child Healthcare (MCH) in Telangana.

Within a short span of a year since its launch, the State government disbursed a record Rs. 344.18 crore to women across the State who chose to deliver in State-run healthcare institutions. Close to one lakh women from various districts of the State were the direct beneficiaries to whom the Rs. 344.18 crore was distributed.Of this, authorities spent Rs. 45.68 crore for procurement and distribution of KCR Kits, while the rest of the amount, i.e. Rs. 298.5 crore, was released directly to bank accounts of one lakh women in three phases.

Public health experts in Hyderabad acknowledged that the KCR Kits scheme had become a flagship programme of the State government, and a driving force for the entire Mother and Child Healthcare services and facilities in the State.The KCR Kits has also positively impacted the key health indicators in mother and child sector, i.e. Infant Mortality Rate (IME) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), they said.The IMR in the State had gradually come down to 28 infant fatalities for 1,000 live births, while the under-5 mortality rate, which is defined as death of infants between birth and five years of age, is 32 out of 1,000 births.

The MMR too started to show improvement with authorities here pointing out that it came down to 70 fatalities for one lakh live births. Even the Census India in its SRS survey had recently indicated a drop of MMR in Telangana, which according to the survey is close to 81.

There is also a clear indication that the KCR Kits scheme is fuelling a huge demand among pregnant women for admission to State-run health institutions. The birth cohort or the average number of infants born in TS per year is 6,50,000, while the number of women who have registered for KCR Kits scheme in the last one year is seven lakh — a clear indication of the increasing demand for institutional deliveries.

The sharp rise in demand for government hospitals due to KCR Kits has created a lot of pressure on the existing services. As a result, health authorities are in the process of adding nearly 2,000 beds in various institutions exclusively for pregnant women in the State.