Aama Programme (Safe Motherhood Programme)
Basic Information
Country
Geographic area
Institutions and agencies involved
Nepal - स्वास्थ्य सेवा विभाग, DoHS (Department of Health Services )
Government of Nepal. 2017. Annual Report. Kathmandu: Department of Health Services. . Accessed 16 May 2018.
Population group
Children, Women
Programme Details
Programme objectives
To increase the rate of institutional deliveries, thereby improving maternal and child health
WHO. 2015. Success factors for women’s and children’s health: Nepal. <http://www.who.int/pmnch/knowledge/publications/nepal_country_report.pdf>. Accessed 23 July 2018.
Programme components
Free selected health services are provided for mothers and newborns, as well as cash incentives for four antenatal care visits and the transportation costs for having an institutional delivery. Health workers also receive benefits for attending deliveries and for providing care to sick newborn
Government of Nepal. 2017. Annual Report. Kathmandu: Department of Health Services. <http://dohs.gov.np/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/DoHS_Annual_Report_2072_73.pdf>. Accessed 16 May 2018.
Start date
1997
WHO. 2015. Success factors for women’s and children’s health: Nepal. <http://www.who.int/pmnch/knowledge/publications/nepal_country_report.pdf>. Accessed 23 July 2018.
Government of Nepal. 2017. Annual Report. Kathmandu: Department of Health Services. <http://dohs.gov.np/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/DoHS_Annual_Report_2072_73.pdf>. Accessed 16 May 2018.
Previous programme name (if any)
Maternity Incentive Scheme (MIS) and Safe Delivery Incentive Programme (SDIP)
Conditionalities (if any)
Women receive the benefits upon completion of four antenatal care visits and upon having an institutional delivery
Government of Nepal. 2017. Annual Report. Kathmandu: Department of Health Services. <http://dohs.gov.np/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/DoHS_Annual_Report_2072_73.pdf>. Accessed 16 May 2018.
Coverage
248,750 women (2017)
Arruda, P.; Markhof, Y.; Franciscon, I.; Silva, W. and Bilo, C. 2020. Overview of non-contributory social protection programmes in South Asia from a child and equity perspective. Research Report No. 46. International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth and UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia. < https://ipcig.org/pub/eng/RR46_Overview_of_non_contributory_social_protection_programmes.pdf>. Accessed 22 February 2021.
Programme expenditure
In the 2015/16 fiscal year the programme had a budget of NPR1,101,251,000 for transportation costs and reimbursements, NPR44,800,000 for 4 antenatal care payments and NPR48,000,000 for newborn care costs; the expenditure on each of these was of NPR798,226,573, NPR34,158,871 and NPR7,045,670 respectively.
Total budget for the 2015/16 fiscal year: NPR1,194,051,000
Total expedniture for the 2015/16 fiscal year: NPR 839,431,114
[1] Government of Nepal. 2017. Annual Report. Kathmandu: Department of Health Services. <http://dohs.gov.np/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/DoHS_Annual_Report_2072_73.pdf>. Accessed 16 May 2018.
[2] Arruda, P.; Markhof, Y.; Franciscon, I.; Silva, W. and Bilo, C. 2020. Overview of non-contributory social protection programmes in South Asia from a child and equity perspective. Research Report No. 46. International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth and UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia. < https://ipcig.org/pub/eng/RR46_Overview_of_non_contributory_social_protection_programmes.pdf>. Accessed 22 February 2021.
Targeting and eligiblity
Targeting methods
Categorical Targeting
Self-Targeting
Arruda, P.; Markhof, Y.; Franciscon, I.; Silva, W. and Bilo, C. 2020. Overview of non-contributory social protection programmes in South Asia from a child and equity perspective. Research Report No. 46. International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth and UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia. < https://ipcig.org/pub/eng/RR46_Overview_of_non_contributory_social_protection_programmes.pdf>. Accessed 22 February 2021.
Targeted areas
Nationwide
Arruda, P.; Markhof, Y.; Franciscon, I.; Silva, W. and Bilo, C. 2020. Overview of non-contributory social protection programmes in South Asia from a child and equity perspective. Research Report No. 46. International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth and UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia. < https://ipcig.org/pub/eng/RR46_Overview_of_non_contributory_social_protection_programmes.pdf>. Accessed 22 February 2021.
Target groups
Pregnant and lactating mothers, newborns health workers
Arruda, P.; Markhof, Y.; Franciscon, I.; Silva, W. and Bilo, C. 2020. Overview of non-contributory social protection programmes in South Asia from a child and equity perspective. Research Report No. 46. International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth and UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia. < https://ipcig.org/pub/eng/RR46_Overview_of_non_contributory_social_protection_programmes.pdf>. Accessed 22 February 2021.
Eligibility criteria
Beneficiaries are pregnant women and their newborn babies who seek institutional care, as well as the health workers involved
Government of Nepal. 2017. Annual Report. Kathmandu: Department of Health Services. <http://dohs.gov.np/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/DoHS_Annual_Report_2072_73.pdf>. Accessed 16 May 2018.
Coverage and other information
Contribution type and amount
No contributions.
Type of benefits
Cash and free health services (health fee waiver)
Arruda, P.; Markhof, Y.; Franciscon, I.; Silva, W. and Bilo, C. 2020. Overview of non-contributory social protection programmes in South Asia from a child and equity perspective. Research Report No. 46. International Policy Centre for Inclusive Growth and UNICEF Regional Office for South Asia. < https://ipcig.org/pub/eng/RR46_Overview_of_non_contributory_social_protection_programmes.pdf>. Accessed 22 February 2021.
Amount of benefits
For women: payment covering transportation costs: NPR1,500 in mountains, NPR1,000 in hills and NPR500 in Tarai districts; plus NPR400 upon completion of four ANC visits at 4, 6, 8 and 9 months of pregnancy, institutional delivery and postnatal care
For health facilities: NPR1,000 to those with less than 25 beds and NPR1,500 to those with 25 or more beds; NPR3,000 for complicated deliveries (covering ten possible types of complications); NPR7,000 for C-section surgeries or laparotomies for perforation due to abortion or ectopic pregnancies and ruptured uteruses; NPR5,000 for Anti-D administration for RH negative. NPR1,000, NPR2,000 and NPR5,000 are paid to different types of care packages to sick newborn babies, up to NPR8,000
For health workers: NPR300 for attending all types of deliveries or for providing all forms of packaged services
Government of Nepal. 2017. Annual Report. Kathmandu: Department of Health Services. <http://dohs.gov.np/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/DoHS_Annual_Report_2072_73.pdf>. Accessed 16 May 2018.
Payment/delivery frequency
Benefits are delivered as one-time payments upon completion of the activities attached to them
Government of Nepal. 2017. Annual Report. Kathmandu: Department of Health Services. <http://dohs.gov.np/wp-content/uploads/2017/06/DoHS_Annual_Report_2072_73.pdf>. Accessed 16 May 2018.
Benefit recipients
Women, health facilities and health workers
Monitoring and evaluation mechanisms and frequency
A Service Tracking Survey was conducted in 2011 to gather information on the country's health policy as well as to monitor the implementation of the Aama Programme
Lamichane, Prabhat. and SureshTiwari. 2012. Progress Report on the Aama/YANC Demand Side Financing Programme. Nepal Heath Sector Support Programme. <http://nhsp.org.np/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Aama_Progress_Report.pdf>. Accessed 16 May 2018.
