Saturday, 12 Oct, 2024
By: Yash Gupte
According to the data derived from the Sample Registration System (SRS), India has witnessed a progressive reduction in MMR in the last few years. Image Source: IANS
As per the Special Bulletin on MMR released by the Registrar General of India (RGI), the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of India has improved further by a spectacular 6 points and now stands at 97/ lakh live births.
India has achieved a significant milestone by achieving the National Health Policy (NHP) target of Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of less than 100/lakh live births.
As per the Special Bulletin on MMR released by the Registrar General of India (RGI), the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) of India has improved further by a spectacular 6 points and now stands at 97/ lakh live births. The RGI functions under the Ministry of Home Affairs and it has been providing estimates on fertility and mortality using the Sample Registration System in addition to conducting the Population Census and overseeing the implementation of the Registration of Births and Deaths across the nation.
According to the data derived from the Sample Registration System (SRS), India has witnessed a progressive reduction in MMR in the last few years. Union Health Minister Dr. Mansukh Mandaviya said that "There has been a significant Decline in the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) from 130 in 2014-16 to 97 per lakh live births in 2018-20."
The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is defined as the number of maternal deaths during a given time period per 100,000 live births. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), maternal death is the death of a woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy, from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management.
Many advanced economies have been successful in reducing MMR to single digits. The MMR in Italy, Norway, Poland, and Belarus is two, while it is seven in Germany and the UK, ten in Canada, and nineteen in the US. The majority of India's neighbours have higher MMRs, including Bangladesh (173), Nepal (186), and Pakistan (140). However, with MMRs of 18.3 and 36, respectively, China and Sri Lanka are well ahead.
The chart given below shows the MMR in India from 2014 to 2020.
Source: Sample Registration System, Office of the Registrar General of India
As per the statistics derived from Sample Registration System (SRS), the country has witnessed a progressive reduction in MMR from 130 in 2014-2016, 122 in 2015-17, 113 in 2016-18, and 103 in 2017-19 and to 97 in 2018-20. India has successfully accomplished the National Health Policy (NHP) target for MMR of less than 100/lakh live births and is on the right track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target of MMR less than 70/ lakh live births by 2030. The target 3.1 of the SDG set by the United Nations (UN) aims at reducing the global maternity ratio to less than 70/ lakh live births.
MMR in states
As per the data, Assam has the highest MMR of 195 while Kerala has the lowest of 19 per lakh live births. Assam, with the highest MMR is followed by Madhya Pradesh with an MMR of 173 per lakh live births and Uttar Pradesh 167. Kerala, which has the lowest MMR, is followed by Maharashtra with a MMR of 33 and Telangana with a MMR of 43.
How has government contributed in bringing down the MMR
India has made a deliberate effort to reduce maternal deaths and provide accessible, high-quality maternal and newborn health services under the National Health Mission (NHM). In order to guarantee the supply of healthcare services, notably for efficient implementation of maternal health programmes to achieve the stipulated MMR targets, the National Health Mission has made major investments. Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram and Janani Suraksha Yojana, two government programmes, have been enhanced and adjusted to be more reliable and respectful service delivery programmes called Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN). The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), which focuses on identifying high-risk pregnancies and facilitates their appropriate management, is particularly praised for this. This had a significant impact on reducing preventable mortality.
The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched on 12 April 2005, to provide accessible, affordable and quality health care to the rural population, especially the vulnerable groups. The National Urban Health Mission (NUHM) as a sub-mission of National Health Mission (NHM) was approved by the Cabinet on 1 May 2013. NUHM envisages to meet health care needs of the urban population with the focus on urban poor, by making available to them essential primary health care services and reducing their out of pocket expenses for treatment. In February, 2013, the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare launched Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn Child plus Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) to influence the key interventions for reducing maternal and child morbidity and mortality.
With such effective government measures, India has been able to successfully achieve the target of Maternal Mortality Ratio of less than 100/lakh live births. It is expected that India will meet the UN’s SDG of bringing the MMR to less than 70/ lakh live births by 2030.
