Fact-Finding Report on Maternal Health in the Ghaziabad Government Health Sector

Post Date: Wednesday, May 25, 2016

Government data from 2004 – 2006 and 2007 – 2009 shows that Uttar Pradesh in particular has consistently had the second worst MMR in India. The current MMR is 212 deaths per 100,000 live births; the country’s millennium development goal is 109 per 100,000 live births by 2015.  The MMR is measured using the number of women aged 14-59 who die from pregnancy related causes out of every 100,000 live births.  Uttar Pradesh has a comparatively low percentage of institutional deliveries (22%) compared to the Indian average of 41% and Kerala and Goa’s 100% and 93% respectively, thus 78% of women are delivering outside hospitals in Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh’s IMR is equally high compared to the rest of India.  According to an India Current Affairs Survey, Uttar Pradesh had the second worst IMR with scores of 53 (2006), 51(2007) and 49 (2008) compared to Kerala’s scores of 12, 10 and 10 respectively.  The IMR is measured using the number of children under one year who die per 100,000 children. The current IMR is 50 deaths per 100,000 and the millennium development goal for India’s IMR is 28 per 100,000. The Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) and World Bank formed a mapping study and created a “worst 200” list for districts in India regarding malnutrition. The researchers used the haemoglobin level of pregnant women and the weight/age ratio of children as their parameters for measuring malnutrition. Uttar Pradesh had 11 more high risk districts than any other state in India. Inadequate access to quality, acceptable health care perpetuates these high levels of maternal mortality, infant mortality, and malnourishment.