Virudhunagar Block Primary Health Centre gifts 171 new moms surprise frames

VIRUDHUNAGAR:  Holding a bundle of joy in one hand and a framed colour picture of herself with the newborn girl in the other, 25-year-old Ranjani’s joy knew no bounds when she stepped out of Virudhunagar Block Primary Health Centre. 

“The picture is special to me, and will remain close to my heart throughout my life,” said the resident of Soolakarai who delivered the girl on Thursday. Ranjani is just one among the 171 ‘smiling’ new mothers who gave birth at various Block PHCs here since October 19 this year, thanks to the district administration’s initiative of gifting framed photographs of mothers and their newborns. 

Collector J Meghanath Reddy said this initiative aims to gift the new mothers with something that they could cherish for a lifetime. “The idea cropped up in a review meeting when officials were holding discussions on how to improve deliveries at PHCs. Deliveries at PHCs are carried out successfully,” he added.

To get the ball rolling, a photo booth equipped with a colour printer and photo frames, has been set up at each of the 11 Block PHCs in the district. H Rajalakshmi (29) of Keelarajakularaman who delivered her second baby, a girl, at the PHC in Srivilliputhur block on October 31 said when she delivered her first baby around eight years ago, she couldn’t get a picture of the newborn for a long time. “This time I received a surprise gift, a picture of, my baby, my mother and I,” she said

Block Medical Officer in Virudhunagar block, P Arockia Ruben Raj, said a woman could get discharged from the hospital in two days if the delivery was normal. For C-section, discharge would take seven days.
“Every morning, the Virudhunagar Block PHC operator would enquire about deliveries in various wards, and if any, he will click a picture and store it in the system,” he said. The BMO added every centre will have a data entry operator and accountant, and based on the staff availability, they will take turns in clicking pictures. “It’s not just new mothers, the family also happily posing for the picture,” he added.