Steps taken for Reducing Maternal Mortality

**Executive Summary** This document outlines the steps taken by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to reduce maternal mortality in India. The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has reduced to 88 per lakh live births, with over 5.93 crore institutional deliveries conducted in the last three years. Key initiatives include demand promotion for institutional deliveries, tracking high-risk pregnancies, and improving the quality of labor room care. The information was presented by the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare in the Lok Sabha, with an annexure to be answered on March 13, 2026. **Key Points / Main Content** * **Maternal Mortality Reduction:** * The national MMR has reduced to 88 per lakh live births as per the latest bulletin (2021-23). * Over 5.93 crore institutional deliveries have been conducted in the country over the last three years. * **Key Initiatives and Schemes:** * **Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY):** A demand promotion and conditional cash transfer scheme to encourage institutional deliveries. * **Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK):** Entitles pregnant women delivering in public health institutions to absolutely free and zero-cost delivery, including caesarean sections. This covers free drugs, consumables, diet, diagnostics, transportation, and blood transfusion. Similar entitlements are provided for sick infants up to one year of age. * **Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA):** Provides a fixed day, free, assured, and quality antenatal check-up by a Specialist/Medical Officer on the 9th of every month. * **Extended PMSMA:** Ensures quality antenatal care for pregnant women, especially high-risk pregnancies (HRP), with individual HRP tracking and financial incentives for identified HRP women and accompanying ASHAs for additional visits. * **LaQshya:** Aims to improve the quality of care in labour rooms and maternity operation theatres to ensure respectful and quality care during and immediately after delivery. * **Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN):** Provides assured, dignified, respectful, and quality healthcare at no cost, with zero tolerance for denial of services, to end preventable maternal and newborn deaths. * **Postnatal Care Optimization:** Focuses on strengthening the quality of postnatal care through early detection of danger signs in mothers and incentivizing ASHAs for prompt detection, referral, and treatment of high-risk postpartum mothers. * **Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day (VHSND):** An outreach activity at Anganwadi centres ensuring maternal and childcare services in convergence with ICDS. * **Outreach Camps:** Provisioned for improving healthcare access in tribal and hard-to-reach areas, increasing awareness about Maternal & Child Health services, community mobilization, and tracking high-risk pregnancies. * **Educational Materials:** Mother and Child Protection (MCP) Card and Safe Motherhood Booklet are distributed to educate pregnant women on diet, rest, danger signs, benefit schemes, and institutional deliveries. * **Infrastructure Strengthening:** * Includes functionalization of First Referral Units (FRUs). * Setting up of Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Wings. * Operationalization of Obstetric High Dependency Units & Intensive Care Units (Obst. HDU & ICU). * Establishment of Birth Waiting Homes (BWHs) in difficult terrains, remote, and tribal areas to improve access to healthcare facilities and promote institutional delivery. * **Role of Institutional Deliveries and Antenatal Care:** * Institutional deliveries with skilled birth attendants (SBAs) are crucial for managing complications during pregnancy, childbirth, and the postnatal period. * Antenatal care ensures early pregnancy registration, regular check-ups, screening for high-risk pregnancies, provision of supplements (Iron & Folic Acid, Calcium & Vitamin D3), and counselling for birth preparedness and complication readiness. * **Data on Institutional Deliveries:** * The number of institutional deliveries conducted in the last three years is provided in Annexure II (FY 2022-23, FY 2023-24, and FY 2024-25). * **Source and Reference:** * Information is based on the latest bulletin on Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) 2021-23, released by the Registrar General of India. * State/UT-wise details of MMR are placed at Annexure I. * The statement was made by the Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Smt. Anupriya Patel, in a written reply in the Lok Sabha. * An annexure referred to in reply to Lok Sabha Unstarred Q. No. 3474 is to be answered on 13.03.2026. **Impact Analysis** * **Pregnant Women:** * **Impact:** Increased access to free, quality, and respectful healthcare services during pregnancy, delivery, and the postnatal period. Reduced financial burden due to zero-cost delivery services and availability of free medicines, diagnostics, and transportation. Improved monitoring of high-risk pregnancies and timely interventions. Better education on health and danger signs. * **Action Required:** Avail of services offered under schemes like JSY, JSSK, PMSMA, and SUMAN. Attend regular antenatal check-ups and follow advice from healthcare providers. Utilize educational materials provided. * **Infants (up to one year of age):** * **Impact:** Entitlement to free healthcare services under JSSK, including treatment for illnesses and necessary interventions. * **Action Required:** Access healthcare services provided under JSSK for sick infants. * **Healthcare Providers (including ASHAs, Specialists, Medical Officers):** * **Impact:** Increased focus on quality of care, respectful treatment, and zero denial of services. Greater emphasis on tracking and managing high-risk pregnancies. Potential for increased workload due to enhanced outreach and service provision. Incentives for ASHAs for postnatal care. * **Action Required:** Adhere to the protocols and guidelines of the implemented schemes and programs. Provide assured, dignified, and respectful care to all pregnant women and newborns. Ensure timely detection, referral, and management of complications. Participate in PMSMA check-ups and extended HRP tracking. * **Public Health Institutions (including FRUs, MCH Wings, HDUs/ICUs, Birth Waiting Homes):** * **Impact:** Requirement for infrastructure upgrades and operationalization to support enhanced service delivery. Increased capacity to manage institutional deliveries and maternal/child health emergencies. * **Action Required:** Ensure functionalization and effective operation of all relevant infrastructure. Uphold standards of quality care and zero denial of services. * **Government of India (Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, National Health Mission):** * **Impact:** Ongoing responsibility for the implementation, monitoring, and funding of these initiatives. Need to track progress against MMR reduction targets and SDG goals. * **Action Required:** Continue to implement and strengthen the various schemes and programs. Monitor the effectiveness of interventions. Ensure adequate resource allocation for infrastructure and service delivery. * **Registrar General of India (RGI) / Sample Registration System (SRS):** * **Impact:** Continued role in collecting and reporting data on Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) for tracking progress. * **Action Required:** Continue to provide accurate and timely data on MMR as per established survey methodologies.

Key Entities Referenced