INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A recently retired Indian nurse named Kathija Bibi, who received a government award for overseeing more than 10,000 successful deliveries,
Subramanian, told the BBC that Khatija recently received a government award as no death was recorded during her years of service.During the
three decades she worked at a government health centre in the southern state of Tamil Nadu, India has transformed from a country with a high
maternal mortality rate to one that is closer to the global average
in June, radiates calm composure
Her clinic - in the predominantly rural town of Villupuram, 150km (93 miles) south of Chennai city - is not equipped to do Caesarean
Zulaika, who was also a village nurse
healthcare to poor and semi-literate rural women
At that time, private hospitals were rare and women from all backgrounds relied on the state maternity home which is now called a primary
I missed family functions
In the same year, India recorded 88 infant deaths per 1,000 live births.The latest government figures show that MMR stands at 97 per 100,000
live births, and the infant mortality rate at 27 per 1,000 live births.Kathija attributes this progress to government investment in rural
healthcare and rising female literacy rates.On a normal day, Kathija would handle just one or two births but she easily remembers her
I helped them deliver their babies
says that women from wealthy families prefer to go to private hospitals
has brought its own challenges
Some husbands would not even visit their wives if she bore a girl child
painful labour, they forget everything and start smiling when they hear their babies cry
Watching that relief was such an exhilarating experience for me
