Chandigarh: For a pregnant woman, the weeks leading up to childbirth can bring a mix of anticipation and anxiety, particularly when a health complication emerges without warning. The Haryana government now plans to use technology to ensure that such risks are identified early and that women do not get lost between hospitals, doctors and follow-up visits.
Chief Minister Nayab Singh Saini on Sunday said the state will bring every pregnant woman under a digital monitoring system through the ‘SAMRIDDHI’ portal, aimed at reducing maternal and newborn deaths and ensuring timely access to healthcare.
The initiative is designed to follow a woman’s health journey from pregnancy through delivery and the post-partum period, allowing health officials to identify potential complications and intervene when necessary.
One Digital Record for Every Pregnancy
Under the proposed system, every pregnant woman in Haryana will be registered and issued a unique SAMRIDDHI ID. Her key pregnancy-related health information will be maintained through this digital record.
Importantly, the system is intended to cover women seeking treatment not only in government hospitals but also in private hospitals and medical colleges.
This means that even if a woman changes hospitals during her pregnancy, her essential medical information can continue to be updated through the same SAMRIDDHI ID, giving healthcare workers access to a more complete picture of her pregnancy.
The government says the idea is to move beyond simply maintaining records and use the information to ensure that women receive the appropriate care at the appropriate time.
Extra Attention for High-Risk Pregnancies
One of the most important aspects of SAMRIDDHI will be the early identification of high-risk pregnancies.
According to the government, ANMs, doctors and other health officials will receive alerts about important examinations, expected delivery dates, follow-ups and other required services.
Women with high-risk pregnancies will receive more frequent follow-ups, while those with normal pregnancies will be contacted every three months. As a woman’s expected delivery date approaches, monitoring will become more frequent so that any emergency can be addressed quickly.
For families, such a system could mean that a warning sign identified during one consultation does not disappear from view when the woman moves to another stage of care or another healthcare facility.
Nurses to Provide Support Through 102 Helpline
The government also plans to establish a 102 Maternal and Child Health Call Centre at the state level.
Trained nurses at the centre will provide health-related guidance, assess potential risks and help women identify the appropriate healthcare facility when required.
If a woman is found to have a high-risk condition during interaction with the call centre, the information will be passed on to the state Command Centre and recorded on the SAMRIDDHI portal.
The system is therefore intended to connect three important parts of maternal healthcare — digital records, human follow-up and emergency referral.
Helping Women Reach the Right Hospital
According to Saini, timely treatment and referral can be critical when complications arise during pregnancy or childbirth.
Under SAMRIDDHI, district and state-level health authorities will coordinate more closely to facilitate the referral of women with high-risk pregnancies to suitable healthcare institutions.
Women will also be informed about appropriate hospitals for delivery based on their health condition, while referrals to higher-level facilities will be streamlined where necessary.
A six-seat SAMRIDDHI Command Centre, operating in two shifts under the National Health Mission, will monitor maternal and child health data, alerts, referrals and follow-ups across Haryana.
Monitoring and coordination will also be strengthened at the district level with the involvement of nursing staff. The portal is proposed to be developed in line with Ayushman Bharat Digital Mission standards and integrated with other health-related digital platforms.
Birth registration will also be linked to the SAMRIDDHI ID, allowing the system to continue tracking the child’s health after birth.
Government Sees SAMRIDDHI as a Safety Net
The primary goal of the initiative, according to the Chief Minister, is to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality in Haryana.
The government plans to focus on complete registration of pregnancies, early identification and monitoring of high-risk cases, timely referrals, institutional deliveries and continued monitoring of newborns.
The larger idea behind SAMRIDDHI is simple: a pregnant woman should not have to navigate the healthcare system alone when a potential complication emerges.
By connecting her medical record with health workers, call-centre nurses, hospitals and state-level monitoring, the government hopes to create a continuous chain of care from the beginning of pregnancy to childbirth and the post-partum period.