Tamil Nadu’s Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) is down six points. It has dipped from 66 to 60 per one lakh live births, according to the 2018 State Health Management Information System data.
The MMR was 66 per one lakh live births as per the 2014-2016 Sample Registration System data. It was 90 per one lakh live births in 2010-2012, according to the Health and Family Welfare Department.
The decline of six points, say health officials, is a result of continuous efforts to improve maternal care and measures to address the commonest causes of maternal deaths.
“It is the last mile that is a tough job. We have started to distribute nutrition kits to pregnant women, and it will certainly have an impact after a while. Among the reasons that have led to this dip are continuous maternal death audits and follow-up of every case. Inter-facility Transfers, RCH centres of excellence and availability of specialists are among the other reasons,” said K. Kolandaswamy, Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine.
Tamil Nadu achieved the Sustainable Development Goal of bringing MMR down to under 70 per one lakh live births by 2030 back in 2014-2016. The country’s maternal mortality rate stood at 130.
Based on maternal death audits, the department had identified the commonest causes for maternal deaths — anaemia, hypertension complicating pregnancy, post-partum haemorrhage, sepsis, heart disease complicating pregnancy — and adopted strategies to address them.
For instance, 6% of maternal deaths are due to heart disease complicating pregnancy. For this, Benzathine Penicillin injections for rheumatic heart disease are made available from block primary health centres. Mothers, aged above 30 years, are registered as high-risk and followed up regularly as 5% of total deliveries of mothers aged above 30 contributed to 21% of maternal deaths, according to official documents.
Pregnancy and Infant Cohort Monitoring and Evaluation, Reproductive Child Health ID and linkage with the Civil Registration System have played a vital role, Dr. Kolandaswamy said. “We are establishing RCH Centres of Excellence in major hospitals that account for more than 300 deliveries. Through this, we are augmenting the physical infrastructure in hospitals. This includes district headquarters hospitals and medical college hospitals,” he added.
