Districts to get online registration facility for pregnant women

The revamped software Pregnancy Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation (PICME 2.0) was launched last year. The software, which allows pregnant women to register themselves from the comfort of their homes, was developed jointly by the Greater Chennai Corporation, Health Department and the National Informatic Software team. “The facility is a success in Chennai. Now, we are planning expand it to other parts of the state. We will bring it into the public domain soon,” said Dr K Kolandaisamy, Director, Department of Public Health. Once the form on picme. tn.gov.in is filled, the beneficiary will receive a registration number. Stating that they were verifying the security and tracking the registration units, he said. 

“We are trying to make it more people-friendly. Earlier, village health nurses (VHN) were registering the pregnant women using the PICME software. Now, women can register from their homes, after which, an urban health nurse will visit the home of the mother to ensure that antenatal care is provided,” Kolandaisamy explained. 

It may be recalled that last year, it was made mandatory for all women to register their pregnancy details on the website to get free birth certificates. While there used to be an option for them to visit the Common Service Centres to register, now the online facility has made it easier. 

“Getting birth certificates was always difficult. Many have complained that their jurisdiction was given wrong. While such factors can make it challenging for families, the online registration is considered a boon as it reduces their visits to government offices to make changes,” said another health official.