BENGALURU: The Karnataka Health and Family Welfare Department has stepped up efforts to prevent maternal deaths and improve the quality of maternal healthcare.
The department on Friday organised a state-level workshop on the Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) Roadmap 2030 under the SUMAN programme in Bengaluru. Held under the theme ‘From Roadmap to Results: Accelerating Karnataka’s Journey Towards Zero Preventable Maternal Deaths’, the workshop brought together RCHOs, DHOs, medical superintendents, obstetricians and gynaecologists from priority districts, state officials, technical experts and development partners.
As of Sample Registration System estimate for 2022-24, Karnataka’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is 73 per one lakh live births. The immediate goal is to bring the MMR below 70.
The state’s maternal health strategy seeks to shift the focus from coverage to quality, risk identification to timely action, and programme implementation to measurable outcomes. It also aims to strengthen district-level accountability and ensure that maternal death reviews result in corrective action to prevent subsequent deaths.
Karnataka will adopt a lifecycle approach to maternal health, beginning with pre-conception care and continuing through pregnancy, childbirth and the postpartum period. Pre-conception interventions will focus on identifying and managing anaemia, non-communicable diseases and other risk factors.
High-risk pregnancy management will receive greater attention, with emphasis on identification, risk stratification, appropriate referral, treatment and follow-up. The state will also strengthen preparedness at health institutions to manage postpartum haemorrhage, hypertensive emergencies, sepsis and other obstetric emergencies.
A technical session on the prevention and management of postpartum haemorrhage was held during the workshop. The Maternal Death Surveillance and Response system will be strengthened to ensure that every maternal death review identifies root causes and leads to corrective action and follow-up.
The state will implement the Zero Maternal Death Gram Panchayat Campaign, involving local communities in identifying pregnant and high-risk women, linking them to antenatal care, strengthening birth preparedness and referral plans, supporting emergency transport and ensuring postpartum follow-up.