BHUBANESWAR: Odisha has reported 49 points decline in maternal deaths during a two-year period. The Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin indicated that the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) has declined from 168 per one lakh live births in 2015-17 to 119 in 2018-20.
The MMR reduction points of Odisha is the second highest in the country. As per latest publication of SRS bulletin, the MMR now stands at 119 per one lakh live births in the state.Odisha is among the six states that have recorded a significant decline in MMR during the period. The decline was 17 points during the 2017-19 and 2018-20 period as against 14 points between 2016-18 and 2017-19.
The reduction rate is, however, not encouraging despite improvement in maternal healthcare services. The MMR of Bihar (118) is better than Odisha, which is now ranked fifth among nine empowered action group (EAG) states. Jharkhand topped the chart with an MMR of 56, followed by Uttarakhand (103) and Rajasthan (113). Kerala has the lowest MMR of 19.
Even as there has been a significant rise in institutional delivery, shifting of pregnant women to hospitals continues to be a herculean task in many inaccessible pockets as ambulances fail to reach due to lack of all weather roads.
Health secretary Shalini Pandit said a lot of measures have been initiated to promote institutional delivery as hard to reach areas are being provided financial assistance for coming to hospitals, which have helped in reducing MMR in the state.
“The SRS bulletin carries two-year old data. The MMR has improved a lot during the last two years due to an accelerated strategy. It will be reflected in the next bulletins,” she added.