1,526 births with 0 fatalities in 3 cyclone-hit TN districts. Mothers evacuated days before due date

Using Pregnancy Infant Cohort Monitoring & Evaluation portal data, state health dept ensured timely evacuations in Chennai, Villupuram & Tiruvannamalai hit by Cyclone Fengal.

National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) personnel rescue stranded residents following heavy rainfall triggered by Cyclone Fengal, in Cuddalore, Sunday.

Chennai: The story of the Cyclone Fengal in Tamil Nadu was largely of death and destruction. But, on 29 and 30 November, in the midst of the inundated roads, damaged houses and destroyed livelihoods, there remained a glimmer of victory—1,526 babies were born in Chennai, Villupuram, and Tiruvannamalai after their mothers were evacuated to nearby healthcare centres, with not even a single mortality reported.

Tamil Nadu Health Secretary Supriya Sahu told ThePrint that the doctors, nurses, and health staff were on the frontlines of delivering 1,526 babies and ensured zero mortality of the mothers and the babies.

“It was a coordinated work of the healthcare staff from the primary healthcare centres to the tertiary healthcare centres in the city,” she said.

Even as the cyclone progressed through its intended trajectory and heavy rains and flooding impacted the state, the Tamil Nadu health department evacuated 1,526 pregnant women, whose delivery dates were close, to nearby state-run healthcare facilities and made sure they delivered the babies without any discomfort.

Using data available on the Pregnancy Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation (PICME) portal, maintained by the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, the health department ensured that the expectant mothers in Chennai, Villupuram and Tiruvannamalai—the three districts hit by the cyclone—reached the facility four days before their due date.

“The data became vital for us to reach out to the expectant mothers. Since we came to know about the cyclone four days before, we had the time to conduct meetings with the district health officers at all levels to make sure that none of the expectant mothers were left behind,” Sahu further said.

The state’s Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine Dr T.S. Selvavinayagam told ThePrint that there were challenges in trying to convince expectant mothers and their families to evacuate but grassroots healthcare workers helped them execute the task.

“Irrespective of whether it is urban or rural, the awareness about planning for pregnancy was lacking among the people,” he said. “There were reservations among people to reach the institutions beforehand, but, our healthcare workers explained the consequences if the expectant mothers could not reach the facility on time because of patchy roads and floods. They ensured to take expectant mothers along with them,” Selvavinayagam shared.

A nurse, asking not to be named, at a primary health care centre in the Villupuram district said that a few expectant mothers in the district were reluctant as they had to take care of their homes.

“They had prioritised their houses over their yet-to-born child. We cannot blame them. But, we explained how fast things might get complicated if the expectant mother is not taken to the hospital and they subsequently accept to stay at the facility for four days,” the nurse said, without divulging more details.

Speaking to ThePrint on condition of anonymity, a woman from Villupuram district who gave birth at a primary healthcare centre in the district said she wouldn’t have made it to a PHC had she been at her home.

“Our entire village was flooded and several homes were swept away. I heard that my neighbours were forced to evacuate their homes in the dead of night. If I had been there, I can’t imagine where I would have gone or how I would have reached the hospital while in labour,” she said, adding that she had anganwadi workers, who reached out to her and asked her to leave for the nearest PHC, to thank for her safe delivery

‘Required planning and monitoring’ 

Health department officials say that it was not an overnight operation, but required a continued process of planning and monitoring of childbirth.

Since the mechanisms to monitor pregnant women and infants have been in place for a long time, Selvavinayagam said that the state mainly intensified the monitoring process in the last six months ensuring that not even a single mother is left without a healthcare facility.

“We do not even stress them to take the government institutions. It is okay if the expectant mother and their family decide to take a private hospital, but, all we ask them is to finalise the hospital much before and plan wisely. Even a viral fever might turn into a serious issue for a pregnant woman,” Selvavinayagam explained.

Sahu said that they utilised the 102 transport service for pregnant women and children to mobilise all the antenatal mothers to the respective centres well in advance before the cyclone made landfall.

“It was not just 102 service, we also coordinated with the 108 service (emergency ambulance) that are available in a span of 7 minutes. So that, in case of any complications for pregnant women, they are taken to the tertiary care centres without any delays,” she said.

Apart from bringing the expectant mothers to the facility, the health department also took care of the pregnant women who were expecting at later dates.

According to the health department’s cyclone mitigation note, shared among the health department officials before the cyclone, it had directed the field staff to visit every expectant mother’s home to make sure that they store enough food, water, and medications for at least three days.

The field staff also gave their contact numbers and asked the expectant mothers to keep their phones charged to contact the healthcare provider in case of emergency, apart from reporting to hospitals if they find any signs and symptoms of infection after the flood.

“Coordination between the district health officers, field staff, the 108 services and staff at primary, secondary and tertiary centres made this possible. This proves that proper planning of childbirth is good for both the expectant mother as well as the child,” the health secretary added.

Although the onus is on the state health department, Selvavinayagam also stressed the need to plan the birth of the child.

“It is not just the responsibility of the health department. But, it is the responsibility of the society as a whole and by realising the responsibility, we can continue to make deliveries without any mortalities,” Selvavinayagam said.

(Edited by Sanya Mathur)