Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs) in Telangana are facing significant pressure due to pregnancy registration targets. They are struggling to meet the goals set by the Medical and Health Department.
The Medical and Health Department has set a target for each ANM to identify and register eight new pregnant women every month. ANMs are expressing concern that there is a large discrepancy between the actual number of pregnant women and the targets set by the department.
Until last July, this target was six pregnant women. However, with the increase to eight, the workload on ANMs has intensified.
ANMs working at the field level are finding it extremely difficult to achieve these targets. They state that it is challenging to find eight pregnant women within an ANM's jurisdiction each month.
Despite a declining national fertility rate, pressure continues on field-level ANMs regarding pregnancy registration targets. This is negatively impacting their performance.
The government needs to address this issue faced by ANMs, who are the backbone of public health services in Telangana. Revising targets to align with ground realities can alleviate the pressure on them.