On November 7, 2019, As per the Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin-2016, The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India has decreased by 26.9 % since 2013. The MMR between 2011-2013 was 167 which decreased to 130 between 2014 and 2016. It decreased further in 2015-17 to 122. Thus, it has decreased by 6.15 % as compared to the previous survey 2014-2016.
Key Points:
i. Karnataka has shown the highest percentage decline in MMR, Uttar Pradesh & Madhya Pradesh have witnessed an increase by 15 points each in MMR in 2015-17 compared to 2014-16.
ii.In southern states the MMR has come down from 77 to 72 per one lakh births, while in other states the figure has come down from 93 to 90. The biggest decrease was in the Empowered Working Group (EAG) state of Assam where MMR has come down from 188 to 175.
iii.To better understand maternal mortality, especially on regional basis, the government has categorized the states into EAG, South states and ‘Others’.
iv. EAG states include Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Assam. The southern states are Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Karnataka, Kerala and Tamil Nadu. The remaining states and union territories are placed in the category of ‘others’.
v. The decline has been most significant in EAG States from 188 to 175
vi. The first report in India on maternal mortality was released in October 2006. The United Nations has set a target to reduce MMR below 70 per 100,000 births by 2030.
