Hyderabad, April 24^th 2019: The
state-run maternity hospital at Petlaburj in collaboration with
city-based NGO, Helping Hand Foundation has been running an
exclusive program on “Healthy eating during pregnancy” which is aimed at
helping the expecting mothers improve their Nutrional health during pregnancy
for the past one year.

In this
unique program perhaps first in a public maternity hospital, about 150-200 pregnant
women visiting the ante natal care in the state-run maternity hospital are
being provided healthy snacks & fruits, every alternate day by the
counsellors of Helping Hand Foundation.

Healthy
fruits & snacks like bananas, dates, peanut chiki is distributed to the
expectant mothers while they wait for their ante natal consultation.

The whole
concept is just not to distribute the healthy snacks but to inculcate the habit
of healthy eating during pregnancy as expecting mothers are counselled by the
volunteers of HHF on the benefits of eating bananas, dates and other healthy
snacks regularly during the course of their pregnancy.

The
Volunteers who are well versed in local language particularly for Urdu speaking
women, go on to explain how bananas are a rich source of folic acid, potassium
and antioxidants which are vital for formation of bones, they further explain
how dates are rich in Iron, dietary Fibre and how these elements can prevent
potential birth defects by preventing anaemia in women.

Good
counselling is changing the mind set of women most of whom come from weaker
economic back grounds and counselling them regularly is encouraging them to
consciously eat healthy when they go back home. Good Nutrition during ante
natal period is critical for expecting mothers and can potentially reduce the
risk of Conginental diseases in new born and also reduce the nutritional
deficiencies in new born, said doctors associated with the program at the
State-run facility. 

It may be
noted that as per NHF Survey 2015, nearly 46% of women in TS
are found to be anaemic during pregnancy.

‘The
incidence of Anaemia has been considerably reduced after the launch of
this program at our hospital since last year and this leads to the mothers
bearing healthy off spring said Dr. M. Nagamani, Superintendent,
Modern Government Maternity Hospital, Petlaburj.

We are glad
that a top public maternity hospital is running this program for pregnant women
who mostly come from weaker sections, such services are not provided in private
settings where maternity services are available at high cost said Mr.
Mujtaba Hasan Askari, of Helping Hand foundation.

Encouraged by the good results at MGMH, HHF has now rolled out the “Health Eating for pregnant women” at District Area Hospital, King Koti in the Ante Natal ward.