Assessment of labor room facilities in Community Health Centers, Taluk hospitals, and the Gadag district hospital

Abstract

Background: Maternal and infant mortality are sensitive indicators that provide evidence for describing a country’s health-care system and indicating the current socioeconomic situation. Recognizing the need to prioritize safe and respectful childbirth practices, the Government of India launched the LaQshya-Labour Room Quality Improvement Initiative in March 2018, with the goal of reducing maternal and new-born mortality and morbidity and increasing women’s satisfaction with healthcare. All Government-run medical colleges, district hospitals (DH), community health centers (CHC), sub-district hospitals, and referral units must follow LaQshya guidelines. LaQshya intends to follow guidelines in organizing the infrastructure and protocol of labor rooms and maternity operation theaters. The guidelines provide standards for space, layout, equipment, consumables, and human resources. Objectives: The objectives of the study are as follows: (1) To assess the delivery room’s infrastructure, equipment, and human resources in the CHC, Taluk hospital, and DH. (2) To analyze the maternal and new-born health-care facility and assess the availability of services and essential drugs in the labor room. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted to determine the labor room facilities in Gadag District’s CHC, Taluk hospital, and DH. By obtaining permission from the District Health Officer (DHO) and the relevant officer at the Health Force for conducting the study. The CHCs, Taluk Hospitals (TH), and DHs were chosen using the Universal Sampling Technique. Data for the study were collected using an observational check-list during the course of studying the labor room facility such as infrastructure, equipment, manpower, and delivery room services with essential medicine. Results: The findings revealed that with the exception of the DH, the majority of infrastructure and equipment are available and capable of providing labor room services, but no hospitals have human resources in accordance with Laqshya guidelines. Apart from Nargundtaluk and DHs, no other health facility has a blood bank or a storage unit. In terms of services, all TH and DHs can provide labor room services, whereas CHCs cannot. Almost all essential medications are available in hospitals. Conclusion: Most of the health institutes had the required infrastructure, equipments, drugs, and service provision except human resource and blood storage facilities in taluk hospital and CHCs of Gadag district.