The health and family welfare minister Chetan Singh Jauramajra on Sunday said that as per the latest data released by the registrar general of India, the maternal mortality ration (MMR) in Punjab has come down significantly from 129 to 105 per lakh live births which is a 13.93% fall. Maternal mortality means death of a woman while she is pregnant or within 42 days of termination of her pregnancy.
Further, according to Jauramajra, MMR is a key indicator of state’s health and socio-economic development and Punjab is amongst the achievers. “This is in sync with the trend of progressive reduction in the MMR over the years. With this persistent decline, we are on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) target of 70 per lakh live births by 2030,” adds the minister.
Speaking on the causes of maternal deaths, the minister said that there are various reasons for the death of women during their reproductive age (18 to 39 years) such as anaemia, post-partum haemorrhage, multiple pregnancies, less birth spacing, and poor family planning practices.
He applauded the state health and family welfare department for the successful implementation of various health improvement measures in the field of maternal and child care such as the operationalization of 34 dedicated mother and child hospitals, high percentage of institutional deliveries, Anaemia mukt bharat (AMB), surakshit matritva ashwasan (SUMAN), labour room quality improvement initiative (LaQshya), Pradhan Mantri matru vandana yojana (PMMVY), janani shishu suraksha karaykram (JSSK), janani suraksha yojana (JSY) and Pradhan Mantri surakshit matritva abhiyan (PMSMA).
Jauramajra added that the state strives to further reduce maternal mortality in line with SDG goals. He said that to promote normal deliveries in place of deliveries through caesarean section, Punjab is also bringing in a new cadre – the Nurse Practitioner in Midwifery (NPM), for which National Midwifery Training Institute (NMTI) has been commissioned at the Mata Kaushalya School of Nursing at Patiala where International Midwifery Educators from New Zealand, England and Kenya have also been brought in by the state government in collaboration with United Nations Population Fund to teach the first batch of midwifery educators.
{{/usCountry}}Jauramajra added that the state strives to further reduce maternal mortality in line with SDG goals. He said that to promote normal deliveries in place of deliveries through caesarean section, Punjab is also bringing in a new cadre – the Nurse Practitioner in Midwifery (NPM), for which National Midwifery Training Institute (NMTI) has been commissioned at the Mata Kaushalya School of Nursing at Patiala where International Midwifery Educators from New Zealand, England and Kenya have also been brought in by the state government in collaboration with United Nations Population Fund to teach the first batch of midwifery educators.
{{/usCountry}}Punjab is the third state to start this prestigious institution amongst 16 states selected for this purpose. Moreover, Punjab is successfully implementing the extended Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritav Abhiyan (PMSMA) through which all high-risk pregnant women are being tracked and they are being provided with additional three ANCs which are done by Medical Officer at the nearest health institution. Each high-risk pregnant woman is provided with a transport assistance of ₹100 per visit.
He appealed to the general public to shun home deliveries or delivery by untrained midwifes etc. and should opt for a government health institution where they are provided with free delivery services, nutrition support and free transport facilities.