Maternal health services and dalit women: A field study in Odisha

The main purpose of the field study is to explore the maternal health care of the Dalit women in Odisha, especially with regard to the ways in which they receive comprehensive health care services during and after pregnancy. The study focused on the Dalit women of Balangir district in Odisha who are untouchable by their caste.

The major objectives of the study are two: firstly, it is to explore the impact of the governmental intervention on maternal health care accessibility for Dalit women in rural areas of Odisha and secondly, to assess caste system and social structure which determines accessibility of maternal health service for Dalit women in Odisha.

The direct interview was conducted with Dalit women who are a mother of below five years old child.

the major findings are, antenatal care and postnatal care was not properly received by the major percentage of the Dalit women due to inadequate information, ignorance and caste factor. Regarding of ANC services, 7.5 percent and 10 percent of respondents one and two times visited for ANC services and did not know the idea of the ANC service, respectively. With regard to PNC visits, 22.2 percent of the respondents, they did not receive PNC service in the study. The institutional delivery has been not improved despite governmental programmes and 30 percent of respondents were delivered baby at their home. Moreover, the function of ASHA, Anganwadi worker, and ANM are more important in providing health care services to them but the caste discrimination acts as an obstruction in providing a comprehensive maternal health care services to the women.

Paper reveals that maternal health care services are insufficient, because of the caste system and the poor economic status of Dalit communities.