- Since times immemorial, mothers have been accorded a very special place in the pantheon of society where the life-giver is considered as next only to the creator of the almighty. Rightly so since the very reason why human life sustains on this beautiful planet is largely owing to the reproductive capabilities that women are endowed with by mother nature. Irrespective of societies, mothers, in general, are always treated specially even though the patriarchal mindset prevalent globally hasn’t seen much of a change despite unbelievable developments in the last century or so.
PC:
- Of course, the fight continues to usher in gender parity in line with modern-day necessities. As you know, quite a distance is still left to traverse before realizing one though. However, what has not changed is the primacy of women in the familial environment where the matriarchy is the sole preserve of sustaining humankind itself. As you are aware, giving birth is considered as no less than a rebirth for wannabe mothers for the challenges a woman undergoes during the gestation period of pregnancy is monumental. Even as challenges vary from one woman to another, giving live birth in many countries in this age of advancements and progression vis-à-vis maternal healthcare continues to remain a concern.
- No wonder, women have to undergo so much stress and duress during the period in the absence of quality medical attention leading to painful situations for the family. Make no mistake, improving maternal health is a multi-sectoral endeavor encompassing better access to inputs ranging from education and nutrition to contraceptives and institutional delivery. Against this backdrop, reports about the welcome decrease in India’s maternal mortality ratio from 122 to 103 (maternal deaths per lakh live births) between 2015-17 and 2017-19 are actually the fruit of multiple interventions.
PC: Drawaradi
- Likewise, further improvements will also need sustained effort along all relevant vectors as well. Further, India’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target is to bring its MMR below 70 by 2030, which it can well meet in advance. Beyond this it should take inspiration from countries that have already brought their MMR down to single digits like Belarus, Poland, and the UK, just to name a few. Delving further will show large disparities in states’ performances need to be understood in their entirety and addressed suitably. Note that Kerala’s MMR improved from 42 to 30, suggesting it kept pushing up standards from an already high level.
- Uttar Pradesh continues to have among the highest MMRs in the country at 167, but it has delivered a dramatic 49 points improvement from 216. Contrarily, Bengal’s performance worsened from 94 to 109 during the same period. Mind you, state or region-wise solutions will vary for sure. One may need to focus on increasing marriage age and another, on increasing antenatal care visits. The Centre to needs to assess different schemes objectively and increase investment or undertake reform where needed. Remember, the most immediate nationwide need is to take stock of how the pandemic has hurt reproductive care services, to ensure that hard-won gains are not seriously reversed.
- We know Institutional deliveries, a core factor in improving MMR, took a hit. As did women’s access to Asha workers and their health counseling. The moot point to note is whether all such services are now back on track, as Covid deaths drop back to the level of the pandemic’s initial weeks. Agreed, India has seen health interventions improve health outcomes. Much better can be done, though.
