Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) Yojana

Why Was SUMAN Needed?

A woman's childbirth experience should not be risky when opting to deliver in a government hospital. Indian women in smaller towns and rural areas would go to public health centres and return empty-handed, not receiving the care they needed. Women in smaller towns and rural areas in India would come to public health centres for care but go away without it, year after year. Long queues. Shortage of staff. Inadequate medicines. In some cases, it may even constitute a denial-of-service attack.

In India, 12% of the deaths were maternal deaths. The maternal mortality rate has also seen significant improvements, dropping from 254 per 1 lakh live births in 2004-06 to 88 in 2020-22, but still has a long way to go. A majority of the deaths were preventable. Not because she doesn't get treatment, but because the treatment system did not treat her at a crucial time in her life.

With this in mind, SUMAN was born. Not a new hospital, not a new medicine, but a legally binding agreement that puts a package of services at the door of every woman who walks through the gates of a public health facility, delivering services that are available without cost, without shame and without exception.

What Are the Objectives of SUMAN?

SUMAN works on a clear, focused set of goals:

• Achieve zero preventable maternal and newborn deaths across India.
• Ensure zero expense access to identification and management of complications during and after pregnancy.
• Establish zero tolerance for the denial of services to any pregnant woman or newborn at a public health facility.
• Provide a positive and respectful birthing experience to every mother.
• Strengthen the grievance redressal system so women have a real mechanism to report problems.
• Integrate and build on existing schemes such as JSSK, JSY, PMSMA, and LaQshya within a single service guarantee framework.

The word "zero" appears repeatedly in SUMAN's objectives for a reason. Zero preventable deaths. Zero expense. Zero denial. It sets a non-negotiable standard and a commitment.

Who Is Eligible for SUMAN?

This is one of the most refreshing aspects of the scheme. There are no income restrictions, no BPL card requirements, and no documentation barriers to accessing basic services. The eligible beneficiaries are:

• All pregnant women- regardless of APL or BPL status, from registration of pregnancy through delivery
• Mothers up to 6 months after delivery- post-natal care does not stop at discharge; it continues for six months
• All sick newborns- every newborn who needs medical attention at a public health facility is covered.

That is it. If you are pregnant and you walk into a government health facility, you are eligible. The scheme operates across all public health facilities, from Sub Centres and Primary Health Centres to Community Health Centres and District Hospitals.

What Services Does SUMAN Provide?

This is the heart of the scheme. The SUMAN service guarantee package covers a wide and comprehensive set of services, all free of cost:

Before Delivery (Antenatal Care):

• At least 4 Antenatal Check-ups (ANC), including one check-up in the first trimester.
• At least one check-up by a specialist doctor (not a general check-up) under Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), meaning a safe and secure motherhood scheme.
• At least one check-up by a specialist doctor, not just a general check-up, under Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), meaning a safe and secure motherhood scheme.
• Iron Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation.
• Vaccination against tetanus and diphtheria (TD injection).
• All other aspects of the comprehensive ANC package.

Antenatal Care (Before Delivery):

• At least 4 Antenatal Check-ups (ANC), including one check-up during the first trimester.
• At least one check-up under Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), which means a specialist doctor, not just a general check-up.
• Iron Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation.
• Tetanus Diphtheria (TD) injection.
• All other components of the comprehensive ANC package.

During Delivery:

• Free and zero-expense normal delivery at public health facilities.
• Free C-section facility in case of complications, no woman should be turned away or asked to pay because she needs a caesarean.
• Respectful care with privacy and dignity is explicitly part of the guarantee.
• Early initiation and breastfeeding support.
• Zero-dose vaccination for the newborn.

Post-Natal Care (After Delivery):

• Free transport from home to the health facility and drop-off after discharge, with a minimum stay of 48 hours after delivery
• Six home-based newborn care visits.
• Free, no-cost services for sick newborns and neonates.
• Post-partum family planning counselling.
• Birth registration certificates from healthcare facilities.
• Conditional cash transfers and direct benefit transfers under associated schemes like JSY and PMMVY.

For Sick Newborns:

• Zero expense access to identification and management of complications
• Treatment at Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs) and Newborn Stabilisation Units (NBSUs)
• Follow-up care for all babies as needed

The Zero Tolerance Policy Under the SUMAN Scheme

The SUMAN scheme has a clearly defined zero-tolerance policy against denial-of-service attacks. This means no public health facility can legally refuse to provide SUMAN services to an eligible beneficiary. If a facility refuses, citing unavailability of staff, medicines, or any other reason, the woman has the right to file a grievance and expect a response.

This is a significant shift from how public healthcare has historically operated. The scheme moves away from "we will try" to "we are legally committed." That accountability is built into the system through a multi-layered grievance redressal mechanism.

Grievance Redressal- What If Something Goes Wrong?

SUMAN has a specific and structured mechanism to handle complaints:

• Call Centre- Toll-free number 1800-180-1104 for registering complaints. You can also SMS "SUMAN" followed by your name to 5616115
• Help Desk- Available at high case-load facilities for in-person complaint registration
• Web Portal- Grievances can be registered online at suman.nhp.gov.in/grievance

All urgent grievances must be resolved within 24 hours, preferably. If a facility cannot resolve the issue within 7 days, it is escalated to the District or State level. Summaries of all grievances are presented before the SUMAN committees for review and action.

This is not a suggestion box. It is an accountability mechanism with timelines.

How Does SUMAN Connect With Other Schemes?

SUMAN does not work in isolation. One of its key strengths is that it integrates multiple existing maternal health initiatives under one service guarantee umbrella:

• JSSK (Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram)- Free drugs, diagnostics, blood, and transport
• JSY (Janani Suraksha Yojana)- Cash incentive for institutional delivery
• PMSMA (Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan)- Specialist ANC on the 9th of every month
• LaQshya- Quality improvement in Labour Rooms and Maternity Operation Theatres
• MAA (Mothers' Absolute Affection)- Promoting breastfeeding

Each scheme addressed one piece of the problem. SUMAN brings them all under one guarantee, ensuring that a woman does not fall through the gaps between schemes.

How to Access SUMAN Services

The process is simple. No prior registration is required to access SUMAN services at a public health facility.

• Walk into the nearest government health facility- Sub Centre, PHC, CHC, or District Hospital.
• Inform the health worker or doctor that you are pregnant or have recently delivered.
• All services under the SUMAN package must be provided free of cost.

For registration on the SUMAN web portal, visit suman.nhp.gov.in and click on "Register on SUMAN Web Portal." This helps track your care and access the grievance system if needed.

Documents needed at the facility:

• Identity proof- Aadhaar card, Voter ID, or any government-issued ID
• Pregnancy details from the concerned hospital or health centre
• Address proof if required.

Why SUMAN Matters

Every scheme discussed on this page- JSY, PMSMA, JSSK, PMMVY- addresses one part of the maternal health journey. SUMAN is the umbrella that holds them all together and adds one crucial element that was missing: accountability.

A pregnant woman who walks into a government hospital today should not have to worry about whether she will be attended to, whether the medicines are free, or whether the doctor will show up. SUMAN makes that worry a thing of the past, or at least, it is designed to. With the grievance redressal portal and the toll-free helpline, she now has somewhere to turn to if the system lets her down.

If you are pregnant or know someone who is, the nearest government health facility is the starting point. All services are free. All denials are violations under this policy. And the helpline number 1800-180-1104 is there if anything goes wrong.