India-27th Session May 2017-Maternal health / morbidity / mortality

Para 63) India has come a long way in improving maternal and newborn health. In six years of the operation of Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), 33.6 million women have availed comprehensive antenatal care services through the National Health Mission under this scheme (up to June 2022). To further improve and strengthen this programme, Extended-PMSMA was launched in January 2022 for improving tracking of High-Risk Pregnancies till their safe delivery. The Midwifery Initiatives was launched in 2018 to provide improved quality of care to pregnant women and new born babies and also to promote physiological birthing; and Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN) was launched in 2019 which focusses on assured delivery of maternal and newborn health care services with respect and dignity which includes wider access to free and quality services, zero tolerance for denial of health services and assured management of complications. Anaemia Mukt Bharat strategy was launched in 2018 to achieve 3% reduction in anaemia prevalence every year. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana to provide for partial compensation of wage losses and promoting health-seeking behaviour among pregnant women and lactating mothers. The scheme provides INR 5,000 in beneficiary’s bank account as Direct Benefit Transfer. As on July 2022, 28.9 million beneficiaries have been enrolled in the scheme and INR 111.94 billion have been disbursed to 25.6 million beneficiaries. Para 78) India continues its efforts towards effective implementation of the Integrated Child Development Scheme (ICDS or Anganwadi Services) and the Mid-Day-Meal scheme in schools. Despite the shutdown of schools due to Covid-19 pandemic, the Government strived to provide either hot cooked meals or food security allowances to eligible children to meet their nutritional requirements during the outbreak. Throughout the pandemic, Take Home Ration was distributed by Anganwadi workers for 0-3 years old children, 3-6 years old malnourished children, and pregnant and nursing mothers. Para 79) The POSHAN Abhiyaan, launched in 2018, focusses on improving nutrition in children (0-6 years’ age), pregnant women and lactating mothers and, in particular, to reduce the levels of stunting, under-nutrition, anaemia and low birth weight babies. The mission consolidates more than 1.3 million registered Anganwadi Centres. As of July 2022, a total of 113.95 million beneficiaries were availing benefits under the POSHAN Abhiyaan. Further, to improve the nutritional status of women and children in the country various initiatives like Anemia Mukt Bharat, Home Based Newborn Care, Home Based care for Young Children, Infant and Young Child Feeding and Mothers’ Absolute Affection, Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre, Intensified Diarrhoea Control Fortnight, Universal Immunization Programme, etc. are also being implemented. Para 107) Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) has declined from 122 per 100,000 live births in 2015-2017 to 103 in 2017-2019 (Sample Registration System, ORGI). Neo-natal Mortality Rate (NMR) has declined from 25 per 1000 live births in 2015 to 22 per 1000 live births in 2019. Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has declined from 37 per 1000 live births in 2015 to 28 per 1000 live births in SRS 2020. The latest National Family Health Survey 5 (NFHS-5) has shown significant improvement in institutional births from 78.9% in NFHS-4 (2015-16) to A/HRC/WG.6/41/IND/1 17 88.6% in NFHS-5 (2019-21). The coverage of mothers in terms of antenatal check-up, consumption of dietary supplements and postnatal care has improved substantially. Para 108) … Over 25,000 ‘Delivery Points’ across the country have been strengthened in terms of infrastructure, equipment, and trained human power for provision of comprehensive reproductive, maternal, new born, child and adolescent health (RMNCH+A) services.