Reproductive Child Health Programme (RCH)

To reduce infant mortality rates, maternal mortality rates and provide quality services to pregnant women and children across India is one of the primary missions of the National Health Mission. The Reproductive and Child Health Programme (RCH) was launched in the country in the year 1997 to enable women to regulate fertility and to ensure safe pregnancy and childbirth. The programme was started as per recommendation of the International Conference on Population and Development held in the year 1994.

Below are objectives of the Reproductive Child Health Programme

• Improve efficiency, quality and coverage of the family wellness services
• Reduction of infant morbidity and mortality
• Promotion of adolescent health
• Reduction of maternal mortality and morbidity
• Control of reproductive tract infection and sexually transmitted infection
• Population stabilization through responsible reproductive behavior
• Ensure safe motherhood and child survival

• Management and prevention of unwanted pregnancies
• Child survival
• HIV/AIDS prevention
• Management and prevention of RTIS/STD

• Child survival and safe motherhood program
• Management and prevention of RTI/STD and AIDS
• Family planning
• Providing information, counseling services on gender difference, sexuality and health
• Nutrition, education growth monitoring and reproductive health services for adolescents

• Shift from traditional approach of method-specific, contraceptive targets, method-specific and incentive to client centered system of goals and performance
• Broaden the choice of contraceptives and expand use of male and reversible contraceptive methods
• Establish and straighten the role of private sector in the programme
• Managing public sector programmes and improving availability and quality of services

For mothers:

• Toxoid immunization
• Birth spacing
• Prevention and treatment of anemia
• Delivery of the child by trained personnel
• Promotion of institutional deliveries
• Antenatal care and early detection of maternal complications

For children

• Newborn care
• Breastfeeding and weaning
• Immunization
• Management of ARI and diarrhea
• Anemia treatment
• Vitamin A prophylaxis

For eligible couples

• Pregnancy prevention
• Safe abortion

A special portal has been designed by the government to identify and track individual beneficiaries throughout the reproductive life cycle of women and promote, monitor and support maternal, reproductive, new-born and child health delivery and reporting.

Few of the key aspects of the portal are:

• It helps government in decision making and monitoring the implementation of health schemes in the country
• Workers can easily plan delivery and identification of beneficiary due for antenatal check up, post natal and immunization services
• Identification of high risk pregnant women
• Helps health workers plan for delivery of immunization services to children
• Improvement of healthcare service delivery in the country

RCH Programme Phase I Aim

• Lower birth rate down to 21 per 1000 population
• Reduce infant mortality rate below 60 per 1000 live birth
• Reduce mortality rate <400/1,00,000lakh
• Improve quality, coverage and effectiveness of existing family welfare services

Programmes for RCH-I

• Camp oriented
• Quality oriented
• Target oriented
• Vertical programme

RCH-I Components

• Essential obstetrical care
• Emergency obstetrical care
• Improve referral system and capacity building
• Strengthen referral system and programme management

Aim of RCH Programme Phase II

The aim of RCH programme Phase II is to derive outcome as envisioned in the Millennium Development Goals , 10th Plan, Population Policy and National Health Policy 2022.

RCH Programme Phase II Objective

• Reduction in maternal morbidity and mortality
• Reduction in infant mortality and morbidity
• Adolescent health promotion
• Reduction in under 5 morbidity and mortality
• Control reproductive tract infection and sexually transmitted diseases