Public–Private Partnership in Safeguarding Maternal Mortality and Neonatal Health: The Gujarat Model (Chiranjeevi Yojana)

To address some serious health issues challenges, especially maternal care, the governments often look towards public–private partnerships (PPPs) as an effective tool to curb mortality rate. Healthcare systems is one area where private participation at a number of levels can be achieved. The PPPs involving the construction and management of public hospitals can introduce innovative ways to control costs and improve services within the existing healthcare systems. The Chiranjeevi Yojana programme a PPP is started to improve maternal and neonatal health in Gujarat. Maternal mortality rate (MMR) is defined as number of women who die during pregnancy (ADBI, 2000). WHO says half a million mothers and 10.6 million children will die each year if governments do not increase their efforts to reduce the maternal or child death. The WHO notes that 4 years ago, governments around the world committed themselves to reduce the maternal deaths by 3 quarters and child mortality to two-third by 2015. Gujarat much-touted Chjiranjeevi Yojana was launched in 2005 to reduce the maternal and infant mortality rates in the state.