BAJURA: Women in Bajura district have been deprived of government incentives on completing four antenatal check-ups (ANC) and carrying out institutional delivery.

The government has provisioned to provide new mothers with transportation incentive for delivering their child at a health facility and incentive for completing four stipulated antenatal check-ups in order to ensure safe motherhood.

Likewise, it has also been provisioned to provide the mother and her child with warm clothes as a measure to encourage them to carry out institutional delivery.

As per the revised budget for fiscal year 2075/76, transport incentive for institutional delivery has been determined at NPR 3,000 for mountainous region, NPR 2,000 for hilly region and NPR 1,000 for Tarai region. Similarly, incentive for completing four ANC visits during pregnancy (on 4th, 6th, 8th and 9th months) has been determined at NPR 800. The incentive amounts have been doubled on implementation of the new budget.

Although the budget was allocated, new mothers have not received the incentives, lamented Auxiliary Nurse Midwife (ANM) Sumitra Padhyaya at Chhatara Health Post. She added that since the beginning of the new fiscal, 38 eligible mothers have been deprived of the incentives.

Local Sunita Chadara of Triveni Municipality-1 in the district had given birth to her child on July 20 and also carried out regular antenatal check-ups during her pregnancy. However, she has not received her total incentive of NPR 3,800 yet. She was told that she would be given the incentives after the budget was released but has been deprived of the sum even after the passing of nearly six months since her delivery.

Meanwhile, Chief at Bajura District Heath Office, Dr Roop Chandra BK stated that the problem has arisen due to less budget and increasing number of new mothers.

(Translated/Edited by: Priyanka Adhikari)