Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) Of India Declines By 10 Points.

Why in news?

• In a significant achievement, MMR of India has declined by 10 points- from 113 in 2016-18 to 103 in 2017-19- as per Special Bulletin on MMR released by Registrar General of India.
• MMR is defined as number of maternal deaths during a given time period per 100,000 live births during the same time period. Maternal mortality is a measure of reproductive health of women in an area.

Key findings:

• With this steady decline, India is on verge of achieving National Health Policy (NHP) target of 100/lakh live births by 2020 and certainly on track to achieve the SDG target of 70/ lakh live births by 2030.
• Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Jharkhand have already achieved the SDG target, with the number of deaths as low as 30 in some states.
• However, rise in MMR in West Bengal, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh have emerged as a cause of concern.

Major causes for maternal mortality are

• Early pregnancy (15 -19 years of age), severe bleeding, infections, high blood pressure during pregnancy, anaemia, complications from delivery, unsafe abortions, and lack of necessary medical care.

Steps taken:

• Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY).
• Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK).
• Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA).
• ‘LaQshya – Labor room Quality improvement Initiative’.