New Film on Nurse Practitioner Midwife Released by Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and SUMAN

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, in collaboration with the Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (Suman) initiative, has released an impactful film showcasing the vital role of Nurse Practitioner Midwives (NPMs) in enhancing maternal and neonatal care in India. The film, officially notified by the Indian Nursing Council, aims to raise awareness about the significant contributions of NPMs in midwifery-led care units.

Highlights of the Film

Nurse Practitioner Midwife (NPM) Led Triage
The film underscores the crucial role of NPMs in triage, ensuring that pregnant women receive timely and appropriate care. NPMs are trained to international standards and registered in midwifery, ensuring high-quality, empathetic, and respectful care.

Respectful and Empathetic Behavior
A key focus of the film is the respectful and empathetic behavior exhibited by NPMs towards patients. This approach is essential in fostering a supportive and positive environment for expectant mothers.

Specially Designed Midwifery-Led Care Units (MLCUs)
The film showcases the state-of-the-art Midwifery Led Care Units (MLCUs), which are specifically designed to provide comprehensive care during pregnancy and childbirth. These units include facilities such as exercise rooms, MLCU birthing rooms, postnatal wards, and obstetrician services.

Exercise Room
The inclusion of exercise rooms in MLCUs highlights the importance of physical well-being during pregnancy. These rooms are equipped to help pregnant women stay active and healthy under the guidance of NPMs.

Comprehensive Information and Care During Pregnancy
NPMs play a pivotal role in providing complete information and care to pregnant women, ensuring they are well-informed and supported throughout their pregnancy journey.

MLCU Birthing Room
The film features the MLCU birthing rooms, designed to offer a comfortable and safe environment for childbirth, managed by skilled NPMs.

Postnatal Ward
Postnatal wards in MLCUs provide continuous care and support to new mothers and their babies, facilitating a smooth transition to motherhood.

Obstetrician Facility
In addition to NPMs, the film highlights the availability of obstetrician facilities in MLCUs, ensuring comprehensive and collaborative care for all pregnant women.

About Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (Suman)

The SURAKSHIT MATRITVA AASHWASAN (SUMAN) initiative aims to provide assured, dignified, and respectful delivery of quality healthcare services at no cost. It ensures zero tolerance for the denial of services to any woman and newborn visiting a public health facility. SUMAN’s objective is to end all preventable maternal and newborn deaths and morbidities, providing a positive birthing experience.

Key Features of SUMAN:

• Zero Tolerance for Any Negligence: Ensuring high standards of care without any negligence.
• Integration of Existing Initiatives: Incorporating programs like JSSK, PMSMA, LaQshya, FRUs, etc., to create a cohesive healthcare approach.
• Respect for Women’s Autonomy and Dignity: Upholding the dignity, feelings, and choices of women.
• 100% Maternal Death Reporting and Reviews: Mandatory reporting and reviewing of all maternal deaths.
• Grievance Redressal Mechanism: Providing a system for addressing complaints and issues.
• Client Feedback Mechanism: Gathering feedback from patients to improve services.
• Awards to Champions: Recognizing and awarding outstanding healthcare providers.
• Community Level Maternal Death Reporting: Encouraging community reporting of maternal deaths.
• Community Engagement & Mega IEC/BCC: Promoting awareness through information, education, and communication (IEC) and behavior change communication (BCC) campaigns.
• Intersectoral Convergence: Collaborating across sectors to enhance maternal and neonatal care.

Background on Nurse Practitioner Role in India

In India, the role of Nurse Practitioners (NPs) is evolving, particularly in the field of midwifery. Nurse Practitioners are advanced practice registered nurses who have completed additional training and education, enabling them to perform tasks that traditionally fall under the domain of physicians. This includes diagnosing and managing patient care, prescribing medications, and leading clinical practices.

The introduction of Nurse Practitioner Midwives (NPMs) is part of a broader effort to enhance maternal and neonatal care. These practitioners are trained to international standards and are capable of providing comprehensive and high-quality care to pregnant women, thereby addressing the critical need for skilled healthcare professionals in India’s rural and underserved areas. The Indian Nursing Council has been instrumental in developing regulations and educational standards for NPMs, ensuring they are well-equipped to meet the healthcare needs of mothers and infants.

Other Specialties in Nurse Practitioner Role

Apart from midwifery, Nurse Practitioners in India specialize in various other fields, including:

• Nurse Practitioner in Critical Care (NPCC): These NPs provide advanced care for critically ill patients, managing complex conditions and supporting intensive care units.
• Nurse Practitioner in Primary Healthcare (NPPHC): Focused on providing primary healthcare services, these NPs manage common health issues, conduct health assessments, and promote preventive care.
• Nurse Practitioner in Geriatric Care (NPGC): Specializing in the care of elderly patients, NPGCs address the unique health needs of aging populations, including chronic disease management and palliative care.
• Nurse Practitioner in Oncology (NPO): These NPs offer specialized care for cancer patients, including chemotherapy administration, symptom management, and supportive care throughout treatment.
• Nurse Practitioner in Mental Health/Psychiatric Nursing (NPMH): NPMHs provide mental health services, including counseling, medication management, and treatment for psychiatric disorders.
• Nurse Practitioner in Transplant Nursing: These NPs specialize in the care of patients undergoing organ transplants, managing pre-operative and post-operative care to ensure successful outcomes.
• Nurse Practitioner in Emergency and Trauma Care: These NPs are trained to provide immediate and critical care in emergency and trauma situations, stabilizing patients and coordinating with other healthcare professionals for further treatment.
• Nurse Practitioner Midwifery (NPM) Educator Program: This program prepares NPs to become educators in the field of midwifery, training the next generation of midwives and ensuring the continuation of high standards in maternal care.

Posters and Brochures

To complement the film, posters and brochures have been developed to further disseminate information about the essential services provided by NPMs. These materials include detailed insights into midwifery-led care, exercise room benefits, comprehensive pregnancy care, MLCU birthing rooms, postnatal wards, and the integration of obstetrician facilities. The aim is to educate and inform the public, ensuring wider reach and understanding of the enhanced maternal care services.

Nurse Practitioners play a crucial role in improving healthcare delivery by bridging the gap between patients and doctors, enhancing access to quality care, and contributing to better health outcomes across various specialties.

The release of this film is a significant step in promoting the role of Nurse Practitioner Midwives and the importance of midwifery-led care units in India. By highlighting these critical aspects of maternal and neonatal care, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, along with SUMAN and the Indian Nursing Council, aims to enhance the overall quality of care provided to mothers and their newborns.