Dip In Maternal Mortality Rate, India To Achieve Target Of 70 Per Lakh Live Births By 2030

India Maternal Mortality Ratio: India has been registering a progressive reduction in MMR from 130/lakh in 2014-2016, 122/lakh in 2015-17, 113/lakh in 2016-18, and 103 per lakh live births in 2017-19.

The maternal mortality ratio is the number of maternal deaths during a given time period per 1,00,000 live births (Getty Images)

New Delhi: The Union Health Ministry on Monday said there was a decline in the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of India and pointed out that the country was on the verge of achieving its target of 70 per lakh live births by 2030, PTI reported.

The maternal mortality ratio is the number of maternal deaths during a given time period per 1,00,000 live births during the same time period.

The ministry said India has been registering a progressive reduction in MMR from 130/lakh in 2014-2016, 122/lakh in 2015-17, 113/lakh in 2016-18, and 103 per lakh live births in 2017-19.

On the back of a steady decline in MMR, the ministry said India was on the verge of achieving National Health Policy (NHP) target of 100/lakh live births by 2020 and sustainable development goal (SDG) target of 70 per lakh live births by 2030.

Quoting a special bulletin on Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) released by the Registrar General of India, the ministry said the number of states that have achieved the SDG target has now risen from five to seven -- Kerala (30), Maharashtra (38), Telangana (56), Tamil Nadu (58), Andhra Pradesh (58), Jharkhand (61), and Gujarat (70).

States that have achieved the target of MMR set by NHP include the above seven states as well as Karnataka (83) and Haryana (96).

Five states -- Uttarakhand (101), West Bengal (109), Punjab (114), Bihar (130), Odisha (136) and Rajasthan (141) -- have MMR in between 100-150. Four states -- Chhattisgarh (160), Madhya Pradesh (163), Uttar Pradesh (167) and Assam (205) -- have MMR above 150.

The ministry maximum decline has been witnessed in Uttar Pradesh (30 points), followed by Rajasthan (23 points), Bihar (19 points), Punjab (15 points) and Odisha (14 points).

"Remarkably, three states (Kerala, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh) have shown more than 15 per cent decline in MMR, while six states namely, Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Bihar, Punjab, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh have shown a decline between 10-15 per cent. Four states -- Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha and Karnataka -- witnessed a decline between 5-10 per cent," it said.

The ministry further said that West Bengal, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Chhattisgarh have shown an increase in MMR and will need to intensify their efforts to accelerate the MMR decline to achieve the SDG target.