Maternal Health in India: UNICEF

India continues to contribute about a quarter of all global maternal deaths. WHO defines maternal mortality as the death of a woman during pregnancy or in the first 42 days after the birth of the child due to causes directly or indirectly linked with pregnancy. 
Fast Facts
Globally, every year over 500,000 women die of pregnancy related causes and 99 percent of these occur in developing countries.
• The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India is 254 per 100,000 live births according to Sample Registration System (SRS) Report for 2004-2006.  This is a decline from the earlier ratio of 301 during 2001-2003.

• In the region, the MMR in China stands at 45, Sri Lanka at 58, Bangladesh at 570, Nepal at 830 and Pakistan at 320 in 2006.

• Wide disparities exist across states in India. The MMR ranges from 95 in Kerala to 480 in Assam.

• MMR has a direct impact on infant mortality Babies whose mothers die during the first 6 weeks of their lives are far more likely to die in the first two years of life than babies whose mothers survive.

• Only 47 per cent of women likely in India have an institutional delivery and 53 percent had their births assisted by a skilled birth attendant. As many as 49 percent of pregnant women still do not have three antenatal visits during pregnancy. Only 46.6 percent of mothers receive iron and folic acid for at least 100 days during pregnancy.
Key Issues
• About half of the total maternal deaths occur because of hemorrhage and sepsis. A large number of deaths are preventable through safe deliveries and adequate maternal care.
• More than half of all married women are anaemic and one-third of them are malnourished