BHUBANESWAR: After significant reduction in Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Odisha has registered a decline of 42 points in Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) as against the national average of 37 points.
As per the Special Bulletin on MMR in India released recently, the ratio in the State has come down from 222 in 2011-13 to 180 per one lakh live births in 2014-16.
The Sample Registration System (SRS) data compiled by the Registrar General of India under the Ministry of Home Affairs indicated that Odisha has performed better among other Empowered Action Group (EAG) States comprising Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Assam.
The MMR has declined from 167 in 2011-2013 to 130 in 2014-2016 in the country. The decline has been most significant in EAG States. Among the Southern States, the decline has been from 93 to 77 and in the Other States, it is from 115 to 93.
In order to map the changes that have taken place, specially at the regional levels, States were categorised into three groups - EAG States, Southern States and Other States.Apart from the MMR, the Life Time Risk factor in Odisha is lowest among the EAG States. While it is 0.4 in Odisha, States like Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh have recorded 0.5 and Bihar, Jharkhand, Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Rajasthan registered 0.6.
The risk factor is the probability that at least one woman of reproductive age (15-49) will die due to child birth or puerperium (the period of about six weeks after childbirth during which the mother’s reproductive organs return to their original condition) assuming that chance of death is uniformly distributed across the entire reproductive span.
The main causes of maternal mortality are hemorrhage, sepsis, abortion, hypertensive disorders and obstructed labour. Many women also die not from any disease but during the normal, life-enhancing process of procreation and most of these deaths are avoidable.
Health and Family Welfare Secretary Dr Pramod Kumar Meherda said Odisha is in better position amongst the EAG States on both MMR and Life Time Risk due to proactive health care measures undertaken by the State Government in the recent years.
“Both the IMR and MMR will improve further as several new health schemes have been introduced. The State is on the right track on integrated health care services. We urge people to come forward and take benefits of the schemes,” Dr Meherda added.