DIMAPUR: Nagaland marked the 10th anniversary of the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) on Tuesday with health & family welfare (H&FW) minister P. Paiwang Konyak announcing that more than 23,000 pregnant women in the state had received antenatal care under the programme and 2,303 high-risk pregnancies had been identified and managed early.
Launching the observance at H&FW directorate, Kohima, Paiwang said the milestone reflected the sustained efforts of specialists, doctors, nurses, ANMs and ASHAs over the past decade. He said gynaecologists and medical teams had travelled to PHCs, CHCs and other critical health facilities instead of waiting for mothers to seek care, ensuring that vulnerable pregnancies were detected early and referred for treatment when necessary.
The minister said portable ultrasound services were also taken to remote locations through the National Health Mission (NHM) and appealed for renewed efforts to reach mothers in the most inaccessible parts of the state. He also released a short video documenting 10 years of PMSMA implementation in Nagaland.
PMSMA, a flagship initiative of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, provides fixed-day, assured and comprehensive antenatal care services to pregnant women, particularly during the second and third trimesters. Observed on the 9 of every month, the programme has strengthened access to specialist-led antenatal care and contributed to continuity of maternal healthcare across the country.
Officials said the scheme has played a significant role in the early identification and management of high-risk pregnancies through specialist consultations, diagnostic services and referral linkages. Under the Extended PMSMA (e-PMSMA) framework, identified high-risk pregnancies are now being tracked by name until delivery and up to 45 days postpartum.
As part of the anniversary observance, a nationwide Special PMSMA session was held on June 9 across designated PMSMA facilities, while additional e-PMSMA sessions will be conducted during June.
In Nagaland, 60 designated health units — including district hospitals, CHCs, PHCs and health & wellness centres — currently provide PMSMA services.
In addition, all 336 functional health & wellness centres in the state will offer antenatal services and facilitate tele-consultations with specialists through the eSanjeevani National Telemedicine Service wherever required.
In Dimpaur, all health units under the Office of the Chief Medical Officer marked the occasion by providing special antenatal care (ANC) services to pregnant women.
PMSMA aims to promote safe motherhood and reduce maternal and infant mortality by ensuring comprehensive and quality antenatal check ups on the 9th of every month.
On the occasion, DPO (RCH/UIP) Dimapur, Dr. Rongsennungla, urged all pregnant women in the district to avail free ANC services offered every month on the 9th at all Primary Health Centres (PHCs), Community Health Centres (CHCs), and the District Hospital.
She informed that at District Hospital Dimapur, pregnant women are provided free laboratory tests including VDRL, blood grouping, Hb%, HIV, HCV, HBV, urine tests for sugar and protein, and ESR. Similar diagnostic services are also available at UPHCs and CHCs, along with free medicines such as IFA tablets, calcium, and Vitamin D supplements.
The programme also offers counselling on nutrition, institutional delivery, birth preparedness, and identification of danger signs during pregnancy, with special emphasis on the management of high risk cases.
Dr. Rongsennungla stated that over the past decade, PMSMA has significantly improved access to quality maternal healthcare services in the district. She further appealed to ASHAs, ANMs, and community leaders to actively mobilise and encourage pregnant women—especially those who have missed regular check ups—to visit their nearest health facility on the 9th of every month for complete ANC services.
