Bhubaneswar: Odisha has registered a decline of 14 points in maternal mortality rate (MMR) bringing it down to 136 per lakh of live births, officials said.
According to the special bulletin on maternal mortality in India 2017-19 released by Sample Registration System (SRS) March 2022, there is a decrease of 14 points from the MMR of 2016-18 which was 150 per one lakh live births in the state, Odisha director of family welfare Bijay Kumar Panigrahi said.
The decline in MMR in Odisha is the fifth highest in the country and is due to improved maternal health care services in the state, Panigrahi said.
The state has taken various initiatives to reduce the maternal mortality through an accelerated strategy under the programme ‘Sammpurna’. Under it the challenge of addressing high risk pregnancies was focused and services were intensified in difficult to reach pockets in every corner of Odisha.
‘Sammpurna’ provides every mother opportunity of at least four antenatal checkups through Integrated Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Days programme, special transportation support to pregnant woman from remote areas for institutional delivery, setting up of obstetrics high dependency units to manage complications, establishing additional maternity waiting homes, improving the quality and standards in labour rooms and providing mother and baby kits, he said.
Besides this, community and facility-based intervention under National Health Mission was implemented through out the State. Programmes like Janani Surakshya Yojana, Janani Sishu Surakshya Karyakram, LaQshya, comprehensive abortion care services and functionalization of first referral units were implemented.
Other facilities that were provided were capacity building of service providers for providing ante, post and intra natal care, monthly village health, sanitation and nutrition day, distribution of card and safe motherhood booklet, establishment of critical care units for mothers, regular information and education activities for early registration of ANC (Antenatal care), regular ANC, institutional delivery, nutrition and care during pregnancy and others implemented under National Health Mission in the State, Panigrahi said.