India’s Maternal Mortality Rate Dips

Maternal Mortality Rate in India is seeing a dip in numbers since 2007-2008, when it was 212 deaths per 100,000 live births. In 2011-2012, it decreased to 178 deaths.

At the ‘Medicon International 2016’ event, organised by Peerless Hospital and B K Roy Research Centre, Association of Physicians of India (West Bengal Chapter) and UK's Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh on Monday in Kolkata, two eminent researchers talked about maternal deaths in India.

"Indian MMR is declining, slowly but steadily. The maternal mortality rate is the annual number of female deaths per 100,000 live births from any cause related to or aggravated by pregnancy or its management (excluding accidental or incidental causes)," said the Professor of Clinical Education and Consultant Cardiologist, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, UK, Jean McEvan.

According to a review of 124 deaths that was published in 2014, McEvan talked about the reasons of death in pregnant women and said that 23.4%, 17.7%, 4.8% and 14% maternity deaths were caused in India due to postpartum haemorrhage, anaemia, antepartum haemorrhage and severe pre-eclampsia or eclampsia.

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She also mentioned that women having heart problems who are also pregnant, should mandatorily go for early diagnosis and treatment and that diuretics during pregnancy is very important.

Hypertension is another most common issue found during pregnancy as mentioned by the Consultant nephrologist of UK's Hull & East Yorkshire NHS Hospitals, Sunil Bhandari.

Globally, around 800 women die every day of preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth out of which 20 per cent are from India, as reported by UNICEF. And every year, around 55,000 women die due to preventable pregnancy-related causes in India. The women living in rural areas who are below the poverty line have a two-and-a-half times higher mortality rate.

Picture credit- Udayavani