{"id":70560,"date":"2026-03-31T18:13:54","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T12:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/?p=70560"},"modified":"2026-03-31T18:45:26","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T13:15:26","slug":"maternal-deaths-india","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/31-03-2026\/maternal-deaths-india","title":{"rendered":"High Maternity deaths in India: Lancet Study"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>Syllabus: GS2\/Health<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Context<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A study published in The Lancet found that India remains among the countries with the <strong>highest number of maternal deaths globally.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Major Findings<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The progress <strong>slowed down post 2015<\/strong> after years of rapid decline.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Around 2.4 lakh women died globally in 2023 due to pregnancy and childbirth-related causes.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>India accounted for about 24,700 of the 2.4 lakh deaths,<\/strong> placing it among the highest-burden countries <strong>alongside Nigeria, Pakistan and Ethiopia.\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-large is-resized\"><img data-dominant-color=\"d4c3c8\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"640\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-176-1024x640.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-70562\" style=\"--dominant-color: #d4c3c8; width:418px;height:auto\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-176-1024x640.png 1024w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-176-300x188.png 300w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-176-768x480.png 768w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-176-1536x960.png 1536w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-176.png 1600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Maternal mortality has declined<\/strong> significantly since 1990 due to better awareness, institutional deliveries and govt programmes, although progress remains uneven across states.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Kerala and Tamil Nadu <\/strong>are nearing global targets while others such as <strong>Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh<\/strong> continue to report higher maternal mortality.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>In India deaths continue to be driven by largely preventable causes <\/strong>such as haemorrhage, hypertensive disorders, infections and complications linked to pre-existing conditions.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>What is Maternal Mortality?<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Maternal death<\/strong> is the death of a <strong>woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy <\/strong>from any cause related to or <strong>aggravated by the pregnancy<\/strong> but not from accidental or incidental causes.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) <\/strong>is the number of maternal deaths per <strong>1,00,000 <\/strong>live births.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Maternal Mortality Rate: <\/strong>This is calculated as maternal deaths to women in the ages <strong>15-49 per lakh of women<\/strong> in that age group, reported under<strong> Sample Registration System (SRS).<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>The <strong>Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.1<\/strong> targets reducing the global maternal mortality ratio to less than <strong>70 per 1,00,000 live births <\/strong>by <strong>2030.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Progress Made by India (National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21))<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>In India the MMR declined<strong> from 130 per 100,000 live births in 2014-16 to 97 per 100,000 live births in 2018-20.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Institutional births have increased significantly<\/strong> from 79% (2015-16) to 89% (2019-21) at the national level.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Institutional delivery is 100%<\/strong> in Kerala, Goa, Lakshadweep, Puducherry and Tamil Nadu and more than<strong> 90% in eighteen other States\/UTs.<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Even in rural areas,<\/strong> approximately 87% of births are delivered in institutions, while 94% are delivered in urban areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-image\">\n<figure class=\"aligncenter size-full\"><img data-dominant-color=\"e4d0da\" data-has-transparency=\"false\" style=\"--dominant-color: #e4d0da;\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"405\" height=\"479\" src=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-175.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"not-transparent wp-image-70561\" srcset=\"https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-175.png 405w, https:\/\/wp-images.nextias.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/format=auto\/ca\/uploads\/2026\/03\/image-175-254x300.png 254w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 405px) 100vw, 405px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Challenges Still Faced By India<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>High Out-of-Pocket Expenses (OOPE):<\/strong> Despite policy efforts, families often bear the cost of diagnostics, medicines, and private services during emergencies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Sociocultural Barriers:<\/strong> Gender dynamics, low education levels, restricted decision-making power among women, and stigma around maternal care all delay early care-seeking.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Rise in High-Risk Pregnancies:<\/strong> Trends such as delayed childbirth, obesity, hypertension, diabetes, and short inter-pregnancy intervals contribute to riskier pregnancies.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Weak Infrastructure in Remote Areas:<\/strong> Rural, tribal, and hilly regions lack emergency obstetric care, reliable transport, and blood storage facilities.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Government Initiatives to Reduce MMR<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY):<\/strong> Launched in <strong>2005<\/strong> with the objective of reducing maternal and neonatal mortality, JSY promotes institutional delivery among pregnant women especially with weak socio-economic status.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY)<\/strong>, is a maternity benefit program run by the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The maternity benefit, of<strong> Rs. 5000\/-,<\/strong> is available to a woman for the first living child of the family subject to fulfilment of conditionalities.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Further under &#8216;<strong>Mission Shakti\u2019, <\/strong>the scheme (PMMVY 2.0) provides additional cash incentive for the second child,<strong> if that is a girl child.<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA): <\/strong>Launched in 2016, PMSMA provides pregnant women a fixed day, free of cost assured and quality Antenatal Care on the <strong>9th day<\/strong> of every month.\u00a0<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>LaQshya: <\/strong>Launched in 2017, LaQshya aims to improve the quality of care in labour room and maternity operation theatres to ensure the quality care during delivery and immediate post-partum.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Capacity building<\/strong> is taken-up for MBBS doctors in <strong>Anesthesia (LSAS) and Obstetric Care including C-section (EmOC)<\/strong> skills to overcome the shortage of specialists in these disciplines, particularly in rural areas.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Maternal Death Surveillance Review (MDSR)<\/strong> is implemented both at facilities and at the community level. The purpose is to take corrective action at appropriate levels and improve the quality of obstetric care.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Monthly Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day (VHSND)<\/strong> is an outreach activity for provision of maternal and child care including nutrition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Reproductive and child health (RCH) portal<\/strong> is a name-based web-enabled tracking of pregnant women and new-born to ensure provision of regular and complete services to them including antenatal care, institutional delivery and post-natal care.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-group has-background\" style=\"background-color:#ebecf0\"><div class=\"wp-block-group__inner-container is-layout-constrained wp-block-group-is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><strong>Innovations in Maternal Healthcare<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><strong>Madhya Pradesh\u2019s &#8216;Dastak Abhiyan&#8217;: <\/strong>A community-driven campaign that focuses on early detection of maternal health risks and ensures timely medical intervention.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><strong>Tamil Nadu\u2019s Emergency Obstetric Care Model: <\/strong>A robust referral system that ensures pregnant women receive timely emergency care, reducing maternal complications.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\"><strong>Way Ahead<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>India has made significant progress in reducing maternal mortality, successfully achieving the National Health Policy (NHP) target of an MMR below 100 by 2020.\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>However, continued efforts are required to reach the SDG target of MMR by 2030.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Strengthening healthcare infrastructure, expanding maternal health programs, and addressing socioeconomic barriers will be critical in further reducing maternal mortality in the country.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/timesofindia.indiatimes.com\/india\/india-accounts-for-1-in-10-global-maternal-deaths-lancet-report\/articleshow\/129887051.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&amp;utm_medium=text&amp;utm_campaign=cppst\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><strong>TOI<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p><strong> Context <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> A study published in The Lancet found that India remains among the countries with the highest number of maternal deaths globally. <\/li>\n<p><\/p>\n<p><strong> Major Findings <\/strong><\/p>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> The progress slowed down post 2015 after years of rapid decline.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> Around 2.4 lakh women died globally in 2023 due to pregnancy and childbirth-related causes.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<li class=\"ms-5\"> India accounted for about 24,700 of the 2.4 lakh deaths, placing it among the highest-burden countries alongside Nigeria, Pakistan and Ethiopia.\u00a0 <\/li>\n<p><a href=\" https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/current-affairs\/31-03-2026\/maternal-deaths-india \" class=\"btn btn-primary btn-sm float-end\">Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":15,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[21],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-70560","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-current-affairs"],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70560","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/15"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=70560"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70560\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":70566,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/70560\/revisions\/70566"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=70560"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=70560"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.nextias.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=70560"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}