Tamil Nadu has constituted a State-level task force to reduce maternal deaths. The aim is to bring down the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) to less than 10 per one lakh live births from the present 45.5 per one lakh live births, in the next two years.
The task force, which will be headed by the Health Secretary, will comprise experts, and representatives from the Indian Medical Association, the World Health Organisation and the United Nations Children’s Fund.
Sealing gaps
Health Secretary Supriya Sahu posted on X (formerly Twitter) that the task force would introduce a new and robust ‘Pre-Birth Planning Mechanism’ to seal gaps in the provision of critical care to pregnant women in government and private sectors. A Government Order (G.O.) has been issued, detailing the constitution of the task force and the strategies to reduce the MMR. Maternal death audits, which are being conducted regularly since 2004, have found five most important causes of maternal deaths in the State — postpartum haemorrhage (25%), hypertensive disorders (22%), sepsis (10%), heart disease (8%) and abortion (4%).
As it has been ascertained that about 80% of pregnancy-related deaths are preventable, the State needed to focus on reducing maternal deaths through a strategy of pre-birth planning, capacity building and ensuring technical and medical support. It was in this direction that the State and district-level task forces were being constituted.
“By conducting maternal audits for the last 20 years, we have learned lessons.... Every year, we have nine to 10 lakh deliveries taking place and about 400 maternal deaths. Our audits have shown that 80% of the deaths are preventable. So, we are bringing in a policy change to save lives. We will look at the number of births planned at Primary Health Centres, at government hospitals, and government medical college hospitals every month,” Ms. Sahu said.
Strategies planned
The State-level task force would examine the causes of maternal mortality and take corrective action to prevent deaths; work in coordination with various government departments to look at social determinants, including malnutrition and anaemia; ensure universal availability of critical reproductive and maternal service to all pregnant women; and address inequities in access to maternal health services, the G.O. said.
Other strategies include strengthening primary, secondary and tertiary healthcare services; ensuring the availability of adequate human resources, equipment, medicines and services for safe child birth; ensuring pre-audit of birthing facilities through a comprehensive birth, pre-birth planning mechanism; and coordinating with the private sector, it added.
District-level task forces
The district-level task forces, which will be chaired by Collectors, would implement a number of strategies including providing a continuum of care to all pregnant women at government and private hospitals, enhancing screening and appropriate referrals for maternal risk conditions, and ensuring multidisciplinary care for cardiovascular and coronary conditions, cardiomyopathy and infections.
Published - October 02, 2024 12:33 am IST
