GUWAHATI: Maternal and infant mortality rates have significantly dropped in Assam’s Bodoland Territorial Region (BTR), thanks to people’s improved health-seeking behaviour.
According to official figures, the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 has declined from 264 in 2021–22 to 136 in 2024–25, marking an approximate 46 per cent reduction.
Similarly, the number of deaths of infants (less than one year of age) per 1,000 has decreased from 22 in 2021–22 to 15 in 2024–25, which is a reduction of around 31 per cent.
In 2023, the BTR government launched the Rog Nirmul BTR Mission, which is designed to bring primary and secondary health services to remote corners and reduce financial burdens on families.
It integrates mobile healthcare, community volunteers, targeted support for high-risk groups and patient assistance schemes. Har Gobindo Boro, a specialist in health and nutrition, BTR Development Fellowship, said that people’s health-seeking behaviour vastly improved over the past few years.
“A pregnant woman is required to undergo four antenatal checkups (ANC) compulsorily. The ANC rate has vastly improved. Unlike in the past, people living in rural areas now come out of their homes to avail of healthcare services,” Boro said, adding that the rate of institutional delivery has also increased.
A key reason behind the improved health-seeking behaviour is the notable increase in home visits by healthcare professionals.
“The health sub-centres in the villages are now called Ayushman Arogya Mandirs. As they are manned by a community health officer (CHO), their services have also increased,” Boro said.
He observed that a combination of factors -- improved ANC and institutional delivery rates, increased home visits by health professionals, and the deployment of CHOs to the health sub-centres -- helped improve people’s health-seeking behaviour and reduce MMR and IMR rates.
A lot of people now turn up at the weekly Village Health, Sanitation and Nutrition Day event. "We regularly maintain the data on the health management information system. After the 6th National Health and Family Survey, we will get the exact figures. Our MMR and IMR rates may decrease further,” Boro said.
He, however, added that everything has not improved as there are pockets where people still do not come out for the immunisation of their child due to a lack of awareness.
Officials attributed the success also to the efforts of 36,500 self-help group women, trained as change vectors to lead the movement for maternal and child health and nutrition.
The Hans Foundation-funded 36 mobile medical units are operational, delivering healthcare services across 871 villages every month.