The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) launched the LaQshya (Labour Room and Quality Improvement) Initiative on 11 December 2017. The MoHFW launched the LaQshya initiative to ensure the quality of care during the intrapartum and immediate postpartum period in a healthcare facility.
It is estimated that approximately 46% of maternal deaths, over 40% of newborn deaths and 40% of stillbirths take place on the delivery day itself. There is a necessity for intervention during the intrapartum and immediate postpartum period to reduce preventable death at the place where the birth takes place, i.e. labour room and maternity OT.
Thus, the government launched the LaQshya programme to benefit newborns and pregnant women in public health institutions. The NQAS (National Quality Assurance Standards) will monitor quality improvements in the labour rooms and maternity Operation Theatres (OTs).
The objectives of the LaQshya initiative are as follows:
The features of the LaQshya initiative are as follows:
The beneficiaries of the LaQshya program are all pregnant women and newborns delivering in public health institutions. The LaQshya initiative will improve the quality of care for pregnant women in the labour rooms, maternity OTs, obstetrics Intensive Care Units (ICUs) and High Dependency Units (HDUs).
The LaQshya initiative is implemented in the following healthcare facilities:
The LaQshya program activities, such as assessment, labour room and OT reorganisation, training, progress on establishing HDU, visits of coaching teams, etc., are monitored through a dedicated web-based tracking system. The LaQshya website contains relevant guidelines, updates, resource materials and progress reports.
LaQshya is a government initiative in India aimed at improving the quality of care for pregnant women and newborns in healthcare facilities during labor and postpartum. It focuses on reducing maternal and newborn mortality, ensuring positive birthing experiences, and enhancing healthcare worker capacity. The program targets public health institutions, monitors through NQAS, and emphasizes upgrading infrastructure, training, and critical care provision.