VIZIANAGARAM: The district medical and health department has topped the state in the registration of hundred per cent online data of the pregnant women, erasing all doubts on the district’s maternal mortality rate. The medical and health department has proudly announced that their MMR is not higher than what is mentioned in the Centre’s survey report. During the 2014-15, the district has registered 29 maternal deaths from a total of 41,000 deliveries. And even in the first 15 days of 2015-16 the district has successfully registered cent per cent pregnant women online data.
The office of the Registrar General and Census Commissioner, India, conducted Sample Registration System on maternal and child mortality and total fertility rates (SRS) in 2012 and expected that there could be more maternal deaths in Vizianagaram district, though the district had actually reported less number of deaths. According to the SRS, there could be 100 plus maternal deaths per one lakh deliveries in the district. Though the district administration has repeatedly stated that the MMR was at a tolerable level, still there are doubts against the district administration’s claim.
Taking it as a challenge, collector MM Naik directed the Medical and Health department to ensure full registration of online data of pregnant women in the district. During the past two years, the department uploaded the maximum data, though not full, on pregnant women and in 2014-15 it uploaded it.
The updated data has ID number of each pregnant woman and child, address of the mother, health condition, immunisation, child health care, pre and post-delivery health condition of the woman. According to the guidelines, the online updating would continue till the child’s first birthday. In 2014-15, 41,000 deliveries were registered in the district, majority of them institutional.
“Now, we have authorised data about the MMR and IMR. During the past one year, there were 29 maternal deaths out of a total of 41,000 deliveries in the district. However, it could be nearly 80 or below per one lakh deliveries and it is within the specified number in the guidelines,” said district medical and health officer U Swarajya Lakshmi.
The expected level achievement (ELA) was 99 per cent in MMR in 2014-15. The ELA in the first 15 days of the current fiscal is 109 per cent, the DMHO said.