A public hearing on the Right to Health and Nutrition was held in Bhopal in April  where primary service recipients, service providers and members of civil society from 29 districts of Madhya Pradesh shared their testimonies on gaps in and violations of primary health care services, economic, social and cultural discrimination in accessing health services.

Organised as part of the global campaign to end preventable child deaths by World Vision India and the core group of ‘Child Health Now’ (CHN) campaign in Madhya Pradesh, this Jan Samvaad served as a platform for over 200 stakeholders to share their experiences and practices. 

This hearing is especially important considering that Madhya Pradesh is one of the poor performers in providing health services in the country. Vulnerable sections like women and children are the worst sufferers. 

Mrs Krishna Gaur, Mayor of Bhopal, and Mr. Manoj Srivastav, Secretary to the Chief Minister, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh set the tone for the Jan Samvaad in their inaugural addresses. 

And after hearing the testimonies of the women, the eminent jury panel comprising experts from the field, academia and governmental advisors, put together a charter of recommendations which includes the following

1. That the Primary Health System with full safe motherhood facilities be strengthened

2. That an audit be carried out to assess the correct statistics of maternal and child death

3. That every maternal and child death must be registered and made public through notifications

4. That community-based management of malnutrition and health must be developed through the establishment of community-based institutions

5. That maternal entitlement universal for all women irrespective of any prohibitory conditions for one year with entitlement of minimum wages with leave 

6. That social audits of women and child health issues and programmes must be carried out annually

7. That target achievement of family planning programmes needs to be monitored to ensure result-oriented outcomes

8. That the Janani Express facility be strengthened and universalised with appropriate models of vehicles

9. That training be provided to ANMs and ASHA workers not only on technical matters but also on social issues

Accepting the recommendations from the jury, Smt. Seema Singh, Chairperson, Janani Suraksha Yojna, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh spoke of how the Ladli Lakshmi Yojna is the change that is much needed in society today and has addressed in a big way, the gender disparity in the state. Smt Usha Chaturvedi, Chairperson, Commission for protection of Child Rights, Govt. of Madhya Pradesh highlighted the challenges that India faces in combating malnutrition and opined that NGOs may hold the key to ensuring that people at the grass roots level get their rights. Shri Rajendra Shukla, State Minister, Energy and Mineral Resources spoke of the importance of a coordinated effort from all stakeholders to combat the poor indicators of maternal and child health and this is a reflection of the progress that the state is already showing.

 Talking of how the women’s views reflected the report, Smt. Bulu Sareen, Head of CHN, World Vision India said “Even though the coverage of services in Madhya Pradhesh is laudable, the implementation is weak and delivery lacks quality. Also, geographical disparities, unfavorable inclusion due to social structures and the social position of women seem to dictate their inability to access health services.”