ASSESSING THE STATE OF REPRODUCTIVE AND CHILD HEALTH (RCH) PROGRAMME IN MEGHALAYA: AN EXPLORATORY ANALYSIS

Abstract

There has been a growing attention towards maternal healthcare especially after the incidences of maternal mortality being high in India and select States in the country. North East States especially Meghalaya is a highly matrilineal state and it becomes interesting to understand the performance of maternal health outcomes considering the hilly topography and women empowered culture. The paper intends to understand the performance of the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) Programme with focus on maternal health within the NRHM framework in the state of Meghalaya. The methodology involves mixed method approach. Secondary data sources is used from the Health Management Information System (HMIS) to retrieve data on the performance of vital maternal health indicators. Qualitative data in the form of semi-structured interviews is used to gain insights into the institutional framework of the RCH programme in the State and the challenges faced in the implementation of the programme. The objective of the paper is to assess the maternal health outcomes by analysing the performance of vital maternal health indicators from secondary data sources