Bhopal, Sept. 4 -- Two Madhya Pradesh initiatives aimed at improving maternal and newborn healthcare-Suman Panchayat and Suman Sakhi, an AI-powered chatbot-have been recognised as best practices and scalable interventions at the national level, opening the possibility of their adoption by other states.
The initiatives were showcased at the National Workshop on SUMAN Roadmap 2030, held in Lucknow on September 2 and 3, where representatives from several states were briefed on their implementation and potential for replication.
The workshop also highlighted Anmol 2.0, a dashboard used to identify and track high-risk pregnant women and facilitate timely follow-up, referrals and institutional deliveries.
Suman Sakhi was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on September 17, 2025, during his visit to Dhar in Madhya Pradesh, while Suman Panchayat was launched in the state on April 1, 2026.
The initiatives were introduced by 2014-batch IAS officer Dr Saloni Sidana, Director of the National Health Mission, Madhya Pradesh, who is known for introducing innovations in the implementation of public welfare schemes and improving public service delivery. Suman Panchayat is a village-level community participation model under the Centre's Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) programme.
It seeks to make maternal and newborn health a shared community responsibility by involving gram panchayats and local residents in awareness activities and discussions on antenatal care, institutional deliveries and postnatal care.
Under the initiative, a gram panchayat recording zero maternal and infant deaths continuously for a year is eligible for a Rs 1 lakh incentive.
The Suman Sakhi chatbot operates round the clock in Hindi, providing pregnant women and their families with information on antenatal care, high-risk pregnancy conditions, childbirth, newborn care and government welfare schemes.
Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla welcomed the recognition, saying maternal and child health remained a priority for the state government, with a focus on community participation, digital technology and data-driven monitoring.
Both initiatives have also been included in the SUMAN Roadmap 2030 guidelines issued by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, which targets zero maternal deaths, zero deaths among children under five, elimination of measles and rubella, universal institutional deliveries and timely childhood immunisation.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.