Chatrapur: In a good initiative to curb maternal mortality and ensure safe motherhood, the Ganjam administration has decided to provide free ultrasound sonography (USG) test facility for pregnant women in the district.
As per an order issued by district Collector Dibya Jyoti Parida, any pregnant woman referred from government hospitals can avail the USG test facility thrice at any of the private clinics and diagnostic centres.
The first USG test can be done during 12 weeks (1st Antenatal Care), 2nd USG Test during 16-34 weeks (mid of the 2nd and 3rd Antenatal Care and 3d USG Test during the 36 weeks to delivery (4h Antenatal Care)
The expenses for such tests will be borne by the district administration. The initiative has been named as ‘Surakshit Janani Sahayata Yojana’ by the district administration.
As part of this initiative, the district administration has inked a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with 18 diagnostic centres in the district.
Besides, the pregnant women can also get their ultrasound scans done free of cost at City Hospital in Berhampur and at Bhanjanagar sub-divisional hospital, according to the district administration.