Download Resource - Healthy Newborn Network

In contrast to above, LHWs services were praised in
many areas of 4 districts (Khuzdar, Pishin, Sukkur and
Jhelum). Some even sympathized with them by saying that
these poor women have to visit each and every house and
that they should get more medicine from the government.
“LHW helps us a lot and she is very good. We take our
newborns to them for weighing and they also provide
us with advice on family planning and medicines.
During pregnancy they come to provide us T.T
injections” (FGD- Killi Machan, Pishin).
“She goes house to house to give medicines and takes
women to hospitals, checks pregnant women and also
gives T.T immunization.(IDI, Mo- City One, Pishin).
“The LHW advises on taking care of the newborn and
tells us about the diseases of the newborn” (Husband,
Batezai, Pishin).
“We are very happy with the LHW in our area. She
goes house to house to give polio drops and medicines
whatever she has. We also ask her to accompany us to
the doctor” (FGD- Faizabad,Khuzdar).
“The LHW is very nice and goes house to house to
give polio drops and immunization to women. She
also advises on family planning and accompanies
the woman to hospital if she has any problem…
Everyone here appreciates LHW because she provides
everything for free” (FGD- Ghazgi, Khuzdar).
“When my baby was born, LHW came and weighed
the baby. The baby was weak; she advised me to
breastfeed the baby and also gave me nutritional
supplements including iron supplement syrup. She
advised me to eat fruits and drink milk” (IDI, Mo- Pind
Matey Khan, Jhelum).
“Everyone considers them good. They have brought a
lot of awareness and all women take their opinion”
(FGD-Gol Pur, Jhelum).
“The LHW takes good care of us and visits the
pregnant woman to give T.T. immunization so that
newborn does not get convulsions/fits at the time of
birth” (FGD-Hangro, Sukkur).
8.2 Attitude towards allowing LHWs to be
present at the time of delivery
Almost all participants in 40 out of 45 urban and
rural UCs of the study mentioned that that
they will allow the LHW to be present at the
time of delivery to take care of the newborn.
“We will allow the LHW to be present at the time of
delivery to take care of the newborn because this will
provide us relief as we cannot go out if the newborn
has any problem and there are no facilities.” (FGD-
Karakh, Khuzdar).
“(If present at the time of delivery) LHW will take care
of the newborn and the dai will attend the mother”
(FGD-Darvesh, Haripur).
“Why would we not allow them They should assist the
dai by providing advices. She will give immunization. If
something goes wrong she can advise and can also visit
us later” (FGD-Sakhi Sarwar, DG Khan).
“She can advise the mother to take proper care of the
newborn and will tell about the right medicine to be
bought. We do not know because we are illiterate” (IDI,
Mo-Arain, Sukkur).
A few proposed a condition that they will only allow the
LHW to be present at the time of delivery if
she doesn’t charge any money.
“If she doesn’t charge anything then we will allow her”
(FGD-Saleh Pat, Sukkur).
The 5 UCs in which participants were not ready to allow
LHW to be present at the time of delivery were UC 8
in Sukkur, MC 4 and Nissata in Charsadda, and Wasti and
Darvesh in Haripur.
“People do not consider LHW as a good profession.
Maybe 10-15 families will allow but the rest will
not allow because the mothers-in-law say that they
have also delivered babies and the babies are to be
delivered by mother’s own force, what is the need of
gathering other women” (FGD-Nissata)
“This village is very backward and people here will not
allow” (FGD-Nissata)
“We will not allow the LHW to be present at the time
of delivery because it is a matter of shame. We ask
even the mother-in-law to leave the room and allow
only the dai to remain with us inside at the time of
delivery. The LHW will break our purdah outside and
tell others the stories about how our babies were born.
We will never allow the LHWs” (FGD-MC4)
50 l Formative Research on Neonatal Sepsis, Low Birth Weight AND Birth Asphyxia