Learnings from the Government of India ‘Dakshata’ initiative to improve the quality of maternal and newborn care

In 2015, the Government of India launched ‘Dakshata’, meaning adroitness, across the country, to reduce the maternal mortality ratio and stillbirth rate. The initiative aimed to strengthen the quality of care (QoC) during and immediately after childbirth through focused and customized trainings for strategic skill-building of providers on high-impact essential practices. The strategy transferred learning through structured onsite mentoring and support, while ensuring the availability of resources, and improved monitoring and accountability by strengthening data systems, and by conducting periodic performance audits. The foundation of this strategic initiative originated from the learnings of the World Health Organization’s Safe Childbirth Checklist (SCC).

The below videos highlight Dakshata’s efforts:

• Rajasthan, impresses with maternal mortality and stillbirth reduction by following ‘Dakshata’ – In India, institutional deliveries have risen showing promising results, however, disparity prevails across the regions. Dakshata resulted in the stillbirth ratio declining by 15.3 points and maternal mortality ratio dropped by 22 points.

• Government of India helps mothers and their babies in Rajasthan with ‘Dakshata’: the journey – Dakshata implementation partners Jhpiego and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation documented their learnings backed by evidence in the form of video infographics.

• ‘Dakshata’ by Government of India proves mentorship is essential to achieve sustained success in maternal newborn health (MNH) –  For sustained long-term impact, Dakshata incorporated continued learning mechanisms such as follow-ups and mentoring and support visits. This video infographic by Jhpiego and the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation shares the impact of mentoring and support visits on overall Dakshata success and sustainability.