Maternal mortality ratio declines by 37 points

India’s maternal mortality ratio (MMR) has shown a reduction by 37 points from 130 per lakh live births in 2014–16 to 93 in 2019–21.

As per the Special Bulletin on maternal mortality in India in 2019-21, based on the Sample Registration System (SRS), the highest maternal mortality ratio was reported in the age group of 20-29 years.

A key indicator of maternal health, MMR is defined as the number of maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births during a specific time period. The World Health Organization (WHO) further defines maternal death as the death of a woman during pregnancy or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy or its management, but not from accidental or incidental causes.

The United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) aim at reducing global MMR to less than 70 per 1,00,000 live births.

Eight states — including Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Jharkhand, Gujarat and Karnataka — have attained the SDG target.

Meanwhile, states with significantly high MMR include Madhya Pradesh (175), Assam (167), Uttar Pradesh (151), Odisha (135), Chhattisgarh (132), West Bengal (109), and Haryana (106).

The Health Ministry noted that focused interventions ensure that every pregnant woman is entitled to free institutional delivery, including caesarean sections, along with complimentary transport, medication, diagnostics and nutrition support in public health facilities.

The statement from the ministry pointed to a UN Maternal Mortality Estimation Inter-agency Group Report 2000-2023, published last month, which said that India’s MMR had reduced by 23 points from 2020 to 2023.

This marks an 86 percent decline in MMR of India as compared to global reduction of 48 per cent over the past 33 years from 1990 to 2023.

As per the SRS report, infant mortality rate (IMR) of the country has also declined from 39 per 1,000 live births in 2014 to 27 per 1,000 live births in 2021.