Jorayal Rural Municipality in Doti district has launched a campaign to end maternal and infant deaths in the municipality.

The campaign aims to bring every expectant and new mothers along with their newborns under the ambit of healthcare, said the Municipality Chairman Durga Dutta Ojha.

Ojha said under the campaign, authorities would keep the record of all expectant and new mothers in the municipality, and would provide free delivery services and midwifery care to those giving birth at home. The campaign would also work on encouraging all women to visit the nearest birthing centres for delivery, he said.

In 2011, home births accounted for 81 percent of all births in Nepal, while the figure dropped to 63 percent in 2016, according to the Nepal Demographic and Health Survey report 2011.

Ojha also urged for cooperation from all quarters to make this campaign a success.

According to Jorayal Rural Municipality Executive Officer Samir Bhandari, the campaign was launched in light of the fact that many pregnant women in the remote parts of the district still opted for homebirth, risking the lives of both the mother and newborn due to lack of medical services during and after the delivery.

Local people’s representatives, political leaders, social organisations, youth clubs, among others, have pledged to support this campaign.