LaQshya is an initiative to improve the Quality of Care (QoC) in the Labour Rooms (LRs), Operation Theatres (OTs) and other mother and child service areas in public health facilities across the country. The program aims to reduce complications and deaths of mothers and babies around the period of child birth which contributes to highest proportion of maternal and newborn deaths. LaQshya brings together Quality Assurance (QA) and Quality Improvement (QI) approaches and strives to provide a better experience of care to the beneficiaries by integrating the concept of respectful maternity and newborn care.

Mission

The Program aims at implementing ‘fast-track’ interventions for achieving tangible results within 18 months. Under the initiative, a multi-pronged strategy has been adopted such as improving infrastructure up-gradation, ensuring availability of essential equipment, providing adequate human resources, capacity building of health care workers and improving quality processes in the labour room. To strengthen critical care in Obstetrics, dedicated Obstetric ICUs at Medical College Hospital level and Obstetric HDUs at District Hospital are operationalized under LaQshya program.

The Quality Improvement in Labour room and maternity OT will be assessed through NQAS (National Quality Assurance Standards). Every facility achieving 70% score on NQAS will be certified as LaQshya certified facility. Furthermore, branding of LaQshya certified facilities will be done as per the NQAS score. Facilities scoring more than 90%, 80% and 70% will be given Platinum, Gold and Silver badge accordingly. Facilities achieving NQAS certification, defined quality indicators and 80% satisfied beneficiaries will be provided incentive of Rs 6 lakh, Rs 3 lakh and Rs 2 lakh for Medical College Hospital, District Hospital and FRUs respectively.

Goal

Reduce preventable maternal and newborn mortality, morbidity and stillbirths associated with the care around delivery in Labour room and maternity OT and ensure respectful maternity care.

Objective

• The objective is to improve quality of care provided to pregnant mother in Labour Room and Maternity Operation Theatres (OTs), thereby preventing undesirable adverse outcomes associated with childbirth.
• Enhance satisfaction of beneficiaries and provide Respectful Maternity Care (RMC) to all pregnant women attending public health facilities
• It aims to reduce preventable maternal and new-born mortality, morbidity and stillbirths associated with care around delivery in Labour room and Maternity OTs.
• To improve Quality of care during the delivery and immediate post-partum care, stabilization of complications and ensure timely referrals ,and enable an effective two-way follow-up system
• It will be implemented in government Medical Colleges (MCs), District Hospitals (DHs), high delivery load Sub- District Hospitals (SDHs) and Community Health Centres (CHCs).
• It plans to conduct quality certification of labour rooms and provide facilities to achieve outlined targets.

MusQan

Quality Improvement in health care is a systematic approach that monitors, assesses and improves the standard of quality care. MusQan is designed to ensure provision of quality child friendly services from birth to children upto 12 years of age. MusQan aims to ensure provision of quality child friendly services in public health facilities to reduce preventable newborn and child morbidity and mortality. It encompasses all the pivotal aspects of child growth and development, including the child’s physical, mental and social development. In addition, MusQan initiative intends to achieve an explicit improvement in the quality of childcare services in public facilities of India.

Under MusQan, multi-prolonged strategy has been adopted for ensuring the gaps in the SNCUs, NBSUs, Postnatal wards, Paediatric OPD and Nutritional Rehabilitation Centre against the quality standards traversed within the shortest possible time and visible in quality care services.

IMCH Kozhikode is the first institution to attain MusQan certification in the State of Kerala.