PICME Registration: Eligibility, Benefits, and Procedure

For the expecting mother in Tamil Nadu, Pregnancy and Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation, which is also known as PICME, is presented by the government of Tamil Nadu. This registration will cover and include all the expecting mothers. The expecting mother can pay a visit to the healthcare facilities, primary care centers, or hospitals. 

All the different aspects of the pregnancy can be tracked by the Public Health Agency using a unique number that is issued to all expecting mothers at the time of PICME registration. This application is present at the village level through the common service centers as well. All excepting mothers can also benefit from the RCH scheme after they have registered under Pregnancy and Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation.

PICME, which was modified as “PICME 2.0” with novel, upgraded sections, was created in 2008 by the National Informatics Centre for the Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. Every year, PICME enrolls 11 lakh AN mothers. A user identification number and password are being issued to 8713 VHNs in towns and villages and 1846 UHNs in cities. 

What is the PICME Number?

The PICME number is a registered number that is issued after being registered under the PICME. To help pregnant mothers, the government of Tamil Nadu has introduced this PICME registration.

When the mother registers themselves under this program, the local nurses who work in the nearby area can monitor and track them, to which this [12-digit) PICME number is applicable. This PICME number is useful in finding the current status and other details about the expecting mother and her pregnancy. The RCH ID is vital as the birth certificate of the child is issued only if there is an RCH ID.  

Significance of PICME Number

PICME number is significant for many reasons. A PICME registration is essential as:

• With a PICME number, the monitoring of the registered expecting mothers becomes very easy.
• The needs of the mothers can be fulfilled more swiftly with the PICME number.
• The PICME number and the PICME registration can be done for women living in both cities and villages of Tamil Nadu.
• The health of the mother and unborn child can be protected with the aid of the PICME number, as the PICME number helps in continuous tracking of the expecting mother if required by the local nurses.

PICME Registration: Objectives

The key objectives of PICME registration are:

• The main objective with which the PICME scheme was launched was to reduce infant and maternal mortality rates.
• The next objective of the PICME is to track and monitor mothers who have high-risk pregnancies and provide them aid whenever needed.
• The PICME was launched with the objective of providing care services to the other after the delivery.
• The expecting mother will get continuous and timely supervision by the local nurses of the area.
• The other objective of the PICME registration was to improve the health of the newborn child and mother.
• Promoting clean delivery services along with women’s empowerment is the other objective behind the launch of such a program.

PICME 2.0

The government has made it mandatory for all pregnancies to register under the PICME 2.0. As we already know, a unique RCH ID number will be given to all the expecting mothers; this number will be utilized at the time of generating a birth certificate.

PICME 2.0 Modified 

The PICME 2.0 has gone through an upgrade. The new features will be added to the registration framework. The newly added features are:

1. All the details regarding the expecting mother and their pregnancies are now available on an electronic database.
2. The entire PICME registration can now be done online.
3. Expecting mothers can now register on the website or mobile application. The mother won’t have to physically visit the primary care centers, healthcare centers, or hospitals to get the PICME done.
4. The modified PICME 2.0 also has features that can detect high-risk factors and ensure that prompt steps are taken for the same.
5. The real-time tracking of the expecting mothers can now be done with the existence of a digital platform.
6. For reminding of the regular checkups, follows, and other essential details, the mother is now sent an SMS on their registered number along with other vital notifications and alerts. 

Eligibility Criteria for PICME Registration

There are only two main key requirements for the eligibility criteria for PICME registration. The eligibility for PICME registration is as follows:

1. The expecting mother should be a resident of Tamil Nadu.
2. The women should be pregnant. Only pregnant women are supposed to register for the PICME registration. 

Login Benefits of PICME Registration

Below is the list of benefits of PICME registration for the expecting mothers in Tamil Nadu:

• The first and foremost benefit of PICME registration is that it helps in getting the birth certificate after the child is born. The government of Tamil Nadu has made it compulsory to have an RCH ID to get a birth certificate.
• The PICME registration is not a one-time benefit; the mothers can again use the program for their next time pregnancy.
• The expecting mother can also get aid through financial support with PICME. 
• The expecting mothers now have effective and improved treatment access.
• The well-being and safety of the expecting mothers are achieved through PICME.
• The local nurses, hospitals, and expecting mothers can now be linked with the help of PICME.
• The PICME is an electronic tool for registration that helps keep the concerns of the expecting mothers on track.

Documents Required for PICME Registration

Many documents are required at the time of registration on PICME. The list of paperwork that is needed to get registration with PICME is as follows:

• Passport
• Voter ID
• Passbook of the bank
• Aadhar card
• Certificate of Marriage
• Ration card
• MGNREGA – job card
• Health insurance card under the C.M.’s comprehensive scheme
• Driving license
• Other additional documents as per the requirements

Online Procedure of PICME Registration

The expecting mothers can self-register on the website of the PICME. All the required documents are to be uploaded on the website. A pre-registration I.D. is generated after completing all the steps of filing the application form and submitting the documents. The expecting mothers can also pre-register by using the 102-toll-free number. The pre-registration can also be done by visiting the government healthcare facilities in the nearby area. 

The steps to get a registration under the PICME online procedure are:

• Step 1: The first step is to visit the official website of the PICME.
• Step 2: Select the button – Pre-Registration by Public. This option will be located on the screen on the right side.
• Step 3: You will now have to enter the PICME number.
• Step 4: Now, you will have to select the location and enter the PIN code.
• Step 5: The next step is to schedule an appointment with the health nurse of the village.
• Step 6: Your registered phone will receive an OTP, which will now be added to this step.
• Step 7: The applicant will now get a 12-digit RCH ID.
• Step 8: The applicant now has to make their own username and password.

How to Check the Status of PICME Registration?

To check the status of registration of PICME, you can follow the below steps:

1. In order to check the status of the registration, you will have to pay a visit to the official website.
2. Select the option of pre-registration by the public.
3. Enter the 12-digit PICME number.
4. Press on the submit button, and the status will open.

PICME Registration and Civil Registration Service

The system used to track deaths, marriages, births, and divorces is the Civil Registration Service. The civil registration service collects basic information like the name of the parents, the birthplace, the birth date, and the name. These details can be used and controlled by the authorities along with the government.

All this data that is collected is then utilized to create new initiatives relating to public health, various types of legal research, or research in other fields. The systems help in making decisions. If more deaths occur, then the main reasons for the same can be researched. The same goes for keeping track of the birth taking place. The different types of trends can be studied with the help of the Civil Registration Service. 

When both the PICME registration and Civil Registration Service join hands together, many benefits can be enjoyed by the child and the mother. The main objective of PICME is to monitor and track pregnant ladies and to ensure that they face no problems throughout their pregnancies. At the same time, the Civil Registration Service keeps records of deaths and births.

With the help of data from both the respective programs, the health department of Tamil Nadu can monitor the overall scenario of birth, deaths, and the medical reasons for death during childbirth. They can find the gaps in the current framework and effectively pinpoint the places that are lacking to improve them. 

These accurate data can be used to make educated decisions that are backed by sufficient research and statistics. New initiatives explicitly targeting the areas that are lacking can be implemented. With the integration of both, maternal healthcare facilities can be improved on a larger scale throughout the state. 

Conditional Cash Transfer Scheme

When certain predetermined requirements related to education and health are fulfilled, families can avail themselves of financial benefits. This program is called the CCT, which is a conditional cash transfer. The health of the child and the mother can benefit from using the conditional cash transfer scheme.

The use of these systems can be done to encourage the expecting mothers to complete daily and timely required checkups and follow-ups and ensure that they adhere to all the recommendations. The services required in relation to the healthcare of expecting mothers and children are made more accessible and easier with the help of these schemes. They do not have to worry about the financial burden as well. It can result in births increasing in the hospitals that have all these schemes and provide the best services to the mothers and their children. The services related to the delivery can be enhanced using more effective initiatives with the aid of CCT, Civil Registration Service, and PICME.

Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme

Expectant moms enrolled via PICME who meet certain financial conditions can receive advantages from the Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme alongside enjoying access to quality treatment during pregnancy.

The Tamil Nadu government offers expecting mothers the following monetary assistance under the program, up to Rs. 12,000:

• Each expectant mother will get an initial four thousand rupees. It makes use of all necessary medical treatments in the seventh month of pregnancy.
• The mother will receive a subsequent installment of four thousand rupees when the baby is born. Women who give birth at public or municipal institutions can use this.
• Once the kid has received the third dosage of the DPT, polio, and hepatitis vaccines, the mother will receive the final installment of the four thousand rupees.

To get the advantages and monetary aid under the Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme, PICME registration is required.

The Final Words

In conclusion, registering under the PICME is very advantageous for all pregnant women in the state of Tamil Nadu. The government of Tamil Nadu has made the RCH ID a prerequisite for having to apply for birth certificates, which alone shows the importance of getting registered under the PICME. The whole process is fully online in nature, so expecting mothers can register for it themselves. The PICME initiative by the government of Tamil Nadu is being updated and upgraded on a frequent basis to be in alignment with increasing risks and increasing use of digitalized tools in the country. 

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