Safe Motherhood in Nepal

On 14th January 2009, the Government of Nepal launched a new programme that aims to save maternal and newborn lives by encouraging more women to deliver their babies in a health facility. The programme, called Aama (meaning mother in Nepali), combines free delivery services at any public health facility with the Safe Delivery Incentives Programme (SDIP) already in place. The SDIP provides women who deliver in a health facility with a lump sum payment to help offset their travel costs. These national guidelines give details of the provisions under the programme. Aama was based on the experiences with the SDIP, which was shown to have been successful in increasing the number of women delivering in a health facility, especially in 25 low human development index districts, where free services were given with the incentives.