PGI study says, most of Chandigarh’s maternal mortality cases from slums, villages

The tragedy is, some deaths could have been avoided as multiple referrals and delay in initiation of treatment by 45 minutes caused complications in cases.

Most maternal mortality cases occur in the slum areas and villages in Chandigarh, states a study by doctors from the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER).

In eight years, from 2007 to 2015, about 136 cases of maternal mortality were reported with 51% deaths from urban slum areas. (HT FILE)

The tragedy is, some deaths could have been avoided as multiple referrals and delay in initiation of treatment by 45 minutes caused complications in cases.

In eight years, from 2007 to 2015, about 136 cases of maternal mortality were reported with 51% deaths from urban slum areas. Interviewees could contact caregivers of only 68 (50%) women who had died.

About 54% women died in tertiary care hospitals, 8% in homes.

The study, Contribution of social factors to maternal deaths in urban India: Use of care pathway and delay models, was conducted by Dr Manmeet Kaur and others from the School of Public Health and Community Medicine, PGIMER.

Hardly any change in mortality rate

“In spite of the increase in institutional (hospital) delivery rate from 73.6% (2007–08) to 91.6% (2015–16), the maternal mortality rate has remained at 100 to 120 per 100,000 live births from 2007 to 2015,” mentioned the study.

In this period 136 maternal deaths were reported. “About 51% deaths were reported from the urban slum areas; and less than a quarter (22.1%) from the rural areas of Chandigarh,” mentions the study.

Urban city accounted for 26.5% deaths.

Post-partum haemorrhage most common cause of death

The most common cause of maternal death was post-partum haemorrhage (26.5%); followed by complications of puerperium or six weeks after childbirth (25%) and problems of labour and delivery (14.7%).

In 10 of 68 cases, the visit to hospital was delayed by one hour to two days. Also, 10.3% deaths happened on the way to the first point of contact with a health facility or during transfer from a lower to higher-level facility.

Nearly 88% deaths occurred in the health facilities.

In 10 cases initiating treatment was delayed by at least 45 minutes. .

“It seems ironical that despite having such good health infrastructure, about one third deaths happened at home. The reasons why so many women delivered at home were many, but mostly because of their previous negative experiences at the hospital (and) fear of approaching health service provider,” the study mentions.

The authors recommend policies to reduce delays and facilitate care pathways to prevent maternal deaths.