Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) Yojana

Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan Yojana: Key Highlights

Why Was SUMAN Needed?

A woman's childbirth experience should not be risky when opting to deliver in a government hospital. Indian women in smaller towns and rural areas would go to public health centres and return empty-handed, not receiving the care they needed. Women in smaller towns and rural areas in India would come to public health centres for care but go away without it, year after year. Long queues. Shortage of staff. Inadequate medicines. In some cases, it may even constitute a denial-of-service attack.

In India, 12% of the deaths were maternal deaths. The maternal mortality rate has also seen significant improvements, dropping from 254 per 1 lakh live births in 2004-06 to 88 in 2020-22, but still has a long way to go. A majority of the deaths were preventable. Not because she doesn't get treatment, but because the treatment system did not treat her at a crucial time in her life.

With this in mind, SUMAN was born. Not a new hospital, not a new medicine, but a legally binding agreement that puts a package of services at the door of every woman who walks through the gates of a public health facility, delivering services that are available without cost, without shame and without exception.

What Are the Objectives of SUMAN?

SUMAN works on a clear, focused set of goals:

• Achieve zero preventable maternal and newborn deaths across India.
• Ensure zero expense access to identification and management of complications during and after pregnancy.
• Establish zero tolerance for the denial of services to any pregnant woman or newborn at a public health facility.
• Provide a positive and respectful birthing experience to every mother.
• Strengthen the grievance redressal system so women have a real mechanism to report problems.
• Integrate and build on existing schemes such as JSSK, JSY, PMSMA, and LaQshya within a single service guarantee framework.

The word "zero" appears repeatedly in SUMAN's objectives for a reason. Zero preventable deaths. Zero expense. Zero denial. It sets a non-negotiable standard and a commitment.

Who Is Eligible for SUMAN?

This is one of the most refreshing aspects of the scheme. There are no income restrictions, no BPL card requirements, and no documentation barriers to accessing basic services. The eligible beneficiaries are:

• All pregnant women- regardless of APL or BPL status, from registration of pregnancy through delivery.
• Mothers up to 6 months after delivery- post-natal care does not stop at discharge; it continues for six months.
• All sick newborns- every newborn who needs medical attention at a public health facility is covered.

That is it. If you are pregnant and you walk into a government health facility, you are eligible. The scheme operates across all public health facilities, from Sub Centres and Primary Health Centres to Community Health Centres and District Hospitals.

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What Services Does SUMAN Provide?

This is the heart of the scheme. The SUMAN service guarantee package covers a wide and comprehensive set of services, all free of cost:

Before Delivery (Antenatal Care):

• At least 4 Antenatal Check-ups (ANC), including one check-up in the first trimester.
• At least one check-up by a specialist doctor (not a general check-up) under Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), meaning a safe and secure motherhood scheme.
• At least one check-up by a specialist doctor, not just a general check-up, under Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), meaning a safe and secure motherhood scheme.
• Iron Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation.
• Vaccination against tetanus and diphtheria (TD injection).
• All other aspects of the comprehensive ANC package.

Antenatal Care (Before Delivery):

• At least 4 Antenatal Check-ups (ANC), including one check-up during the first trimester.
• At least one check-up under Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), which means a specialist doctor, not just a general check-up.
• Iron Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation.
• Tetanus Diphtheria (TD) injection.
• All other components of the comprehensive ANC package.

During Delivery:

• Free and zero-expense normal delivery at public health facilities.
• Free C-section facility in case of complications, no woman should be turned away or asked to pay because she needs a caesarean.
• Respectful care with privacy and dignity is explicitly part of the guarantee.
• Early initiation and breastfeeding support.
• Zero-dose vaccination for the newborn.

Post-Natal Care (After Delivery):

• Free transportation from home to health facility and drop off after discharge (48 hours minimum after delivery)
• Six visits to the home for newborn care.
• No-cost services for newborns and neonates that are ill.
• Post-partum FP counselling.
• Healthcare facility birth registration certificates.
• Conditional cash transfer and direct benefit transfer through the schemes associated, such as JSY and PMMVY.

For Sick Newborns:

• No cost availability for identification and problem management.
• SNCUs and NBSU treatment.
• Follow up of all babies as per requirements.

The Zero Tolerance Policy Under the SUMAN Scheme

The SUMAN scheme lays out a clear, "zero tolerance policy" for denial of services by public health facilities to any entitled beneficiaries. This means that the denial of services by any health facility to an entitled woman can not be legally justified on grounds of lack of staff, medicine, or any other excuse. Women are entitled to file a complaint and get a response.

This signifies a radical shift in the delivery of public health in India. It moves away from the typical "we will try" to "we are legally obligated to." This commitment is embedded in the system via a multi-tiered grievance redressal mechanism.

Grievance Redressal- What If Something Goes Wrong?

SUMAN has its own defined mechanism of redressal of grievances.

• Call Centre: - To register complaints through a toll-free number.1800-180-1104. Can also register by SMS 'SUMAN' your name to 5616115.
• Help Desk: - Will be stationed at high case-load facilities to register complaints physically.
• Web Portal: - For online registration of grievances. Suman.nhp.gov.in/grievance.

Every urgent grievance has to be redressed within 24 hours, ideally. Grievances not addressed by a facility within 7 days have to be escalated to District or State Level. All grievance summaries will be tabled before the SUMAN committee meetings for review and action.

How Does SUMAN Connect With Other Schemes?

SUMAN does not work in isolation. One of its key strengths is that it integrates multiple existing maternal health initiatives under one service guarantee umbrella:

• JSSK (Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram)- Free medicines, drugs, diagnostics, blood, and transport.
• JSY (Janani Suraksha Yojana)- Cash incentive for institutional delivery.
• PMSMA (Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan)- Specialist ANC on the 9th of every month.
• LaQshya- Quality improvement in Labour Rooms and Maternity Operation Theatres.
• MAA (Mothers' Absolute Affection)- Promoting breastfeeding.

Each scheme addressed one piece of the problem. SUMAN brings them all under one guarantee, ensuring that a woman does not fall through the gaps between schemes.

How to Access SUMAN Services

The process is very easy; there is no need for pre-registration or pre-registration to get SUMAN services at any public health facility.

• Visit any nearby Government Health facility – Sub Centre, PHC, CHC, District Hospital etc.
• Communicate to a health health worker or doctor that "you are pregnant" or "have delivered recently".
• All the services offered in the SUMANin SUMAN package have to be free of cost.

For registration in SUMAN web portal log in at suman.nhp.gov.in and click on "Register on SUMAN Web Portal". It helps you to monitor your cases and also access to the grievance redressal system.

Documents Required at the facility:

• Proof of identification- Aadhar Card, Voter card or other government ID proof.
• Details regarding pregnancy- from the concerned hospital/ health centre.
• Proof of Address if needed.

Why SUMAN Matters

Each of the schemes talked about here - JSY, PMSMA, JSSK, PMMVY - all address some part of the antenatal and postnatal journey. SUMAN is what brings all of them under one fold and brings in one necessary aspect that was previously missing- accountability. A woman, pregnant and visiting a public health facility now should have no concern about being treated or about having to pay for medication or the doctor showing up.

The existence of a grievance redressal portal and a toll free helpline number now ensures that the woman has an alternative recourse if the health system fails her. For a pregnant woman or for all pregnant women around, the primary point of care is the local public health facility. All the benefits are free of cost. The denial of any benefit is an infringement on the policy. The number to call if anything goes wrong is 1800-180-1104.