BENGALURU: The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has gone down, while the Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) has increased in Yadgir district, reveals an internal district document prepared by the state Health Department for the Common Review Mission (CRM).
CRM, conducted every year by the Health Ministry in various states, undertakes a rapid assessment of various health parameters under the National Health Mission (NHM). The New Indian Express has accessed the document, which reveals that the infant mortality rate dropped from 9.8 per 1,000 live births in 2019-2020 to 6.5 in 2020-21 and further to 5 in 2021-2022, which is a good sign. But on the other hand, MMR figures rose from 74.51 per one lakh live births in 2019-2020 to 75.30 in 2020-2021 and further to 81.67 in 2021-2022.
Dr Rajkumar N, Deputy Director (Maternal Health), Department of Health and Family Welfare, however, said that MMR has not increased overall in the state. These figures are based on internal indicators and the actual numbers are awaited from the Sample Registration System report of the Union Government, he explained.
MMR is calculated by dividing the number of maternal deaths out of the total live births multiplied by one lakh. “The denominator has not been calculated properly this time as lesser deliveries were recorded. This is because data entry operators were deputed for Covid duties. Moreover, we lost 200 pregnant mothers to Covid. However, MMR has reduced in the state,” Dr Rajkumar added.
He said infant deaths are not recorded properly as many of them take place at home and do not come to the notice of the authorities. Only the infant deaths in hospitals get recorded. “Overall, Karnataka is doing well both in terms of IMR and MMR as training has been given to health workers and infrastructure improved. We have Maternal and Child Health wings to specially cater to them,” he added.
The document attributed maternal deaths in 2019-2020 and 2020-21 to postpartum haemorrhage, cerebral venous sinus thrombosis, severe hypertension and eclampsia. Around 40 per cent of maternal deaths were in the age group of 18 to 25, 30 per cent were in the 31-39 age group and 20 per cent in the 26-30 age group. Infant deaths in 2019-2020 and 2020-21 took place due to asphyxia, pneumonia, sepsis, diarrhoea, fever and deaths within 24 hours after birth.
How numbers are calculated
IMR is calculated by number of infant deaths in the first year of life divided by number of live births multiplied by hundred
MMR is calculated by number of maternal deaths divided by number of live births multiplied by one lakh