A collaborative effort to increase accessibility to high-quality maternal health services.

Every mother should have the chance to experience the moment of incredible pleasure that comes with holding a newborn in her arms. However, due to the fact that giving birth is frequently traumatic, this memory will likely never be made for many pregnant women in India.

Nearly two-thirds of all maternal deaths are caused by serious complications, which include severe bleeding (typically after childbirth), infections, high blood pressure throughout pregnancy (pre- and eclampsia), problems during delivery, and missed abortions.

According to the most recent report from the national Sample Registration system (SRS) statistics, India’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) for the period 2016–18 is 113/100,000 live births, a decrease of 17 points from 130/100,000 live births in 2014–16. This corresponds to 2,500 more moms being saved each year in 2018 than in 2016. From 33800 maternal deaths in 2016 to 26437 fatalities in 2018, the expected annual total of maternal deaths decreased.

Complications from pregnancy are the leading cause of death for girls between the ages of 15 and 19. Adolescent girls are more likely to experience problems during pregnancy since they are still developing as individuals. In addition, compared to women who marry as adults, child brides are less likely to get sufficient medical attention while pregnant or give birth in a hospital. 

All pregnant women must have access to prenatal care, expert care during childbirth, and support in the weeks after delivery. Skilled medical personnel should be present throughout every birth since immediate care and treatment might mean the difference between life and death for both the mother and the child.

The improvement of maternal health indicators has been a priority for the Indian government. Over the past 20 years, significant progress has been made in preventing unnecessary maternal deaths: Globally, the number of women and girls who pass away each year from complications during pregnancy and child birth has significantly decreased, falling from 451,000 in 2000 to 295,000 in 2017, a 38% drop.

However, due to knowledge, policy, and resource shortages, the prevalence of life-saving medical interventions and procedures is still low. There are several places where the rich-poor divide and the urban-rural divide exist. The mother’s and family’s financial situation as well as their residence are frequently determinants of access to healthcare services. 

In order to support planning, budgeting, policy formation, capacity building, monitoring, and demand generation, many health agencies collaborate with the Ministries of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW), Women and Child Development (MWCD), NITI Aayog, and state governments. When planning, implementing, monitoring, and supervising effective maternal health care services with an emphasis on high-risk pregnant women and those in challenging-to-reach, vulnerable, and socially disadvantaged communities, it improves the capacity of health managers and supervisors at the district and block levels. The following interventions by the Indian government are –

• Reaching every mother: GOI is in favour of putting the MoHFW’s policy into practise, which states that every delivery should be attended by a qualified health care practitioner in a medical institution.

• Continuum of Care: A continuum of care method is used to improve the health and nutrition of expectant moms as well as to deliver high-quality maternal and new-born health services. This entails enhancing access to family planning, prenatal care during pregnancy, expert attendant management of a routine birth, availability of emergency obstetric and neonatal care when required, and prompt postpartum care for both mothers and babies.

• Antenatal care: All expecting mothers must sign up for antenatal care at the closest health facility as soon as they become aware of their pregnancy in order to ensure a safe pregnancy and to promptly identify high-risk conditions that could influence their health or the health of their unborn child.

• The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), introduced by the MoHFW, offers pregnant women a set day for guaranteed, thorough, and high-quality antenatal care free of charge on the ninth of every month. This programme improves the identification and monitoring of high-risk pregnancies during antenatal care, which helps to lower maternal fatalities and India’s MMR.

• The Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) programme includes reforms in the governance and management of health services at all levels, free maternity services for women and children, and a national expansion of emergency referral systems and maternal death audits.

We need to do more to reach those who are most at risk, such as women in rural regions, urban slums, poorer households, adolescent moms, women from minorities and tribal, Scheduled Caste, and Scheduled Tribe groups, in order to meet the worldwide aim of enhancing maternal health and saving women’s lives.