October 14th 2023.
Mumbai: The state health department has been taking serious action to reduce maternal deaths in Maharashtra and ensure the state maintains its ranking in controlling the mortality rate. According to data, 412 deaths have been recorded from April to September, which means more than 80 maternal deaths are reported each month.
Experts believe the pandemic has led to a surge in maternal deaths due to patients' inability to access healthcare facilities on time. Maharashtra had the second best record last year in controlling the maternal mortality rate, behind Kerala. To ensure this, the Public Health Department has conducted workshops for obstetrician-gynecologists to teach them the best practices to reduce maternal deaths and how to properly investigate each death. Over 60 gynecologists from state civil hospitals, government medical colleges, and civic body-run maternity centers took part in the workshop.
The state health department has also launched ‘Mission Lakshya’ to develop labour rooms and operation theatres in rural and district hospitals. The aim of the mission is to orient them to the latest protocols, quality improvement processes, and respectful maternity care. In addition, the mortality rate of the Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation has decreased to 2.35%.
Poor infrastructure is one of the main reasons for the high maternal deaths in the state. The health department has instructed doctors to create awareness of 108 Ambulance services, which are well-equipped with a doctor and cardiac facilities to keep the patient stable until they reach the hospital.
Unfortunately, the exact cause of death is often unknown due to families refusing to conduct post-mortem. Gynaecologists have to face difficulties from patients’ relatives when it comes to explaining the cause of death. In spite of this, Maharashtra has made significant progress in reducing the maternal mortality rate from 38 per one lakh live births to 33 per lakh live births.
Statistics show that the leading causes of maternal deaths are acute post-partum haemorrhage (19%) and hypertension (17%). The mortality rate for kids in Madhya Pradesh due to viral fever is 3%, with bed occupancy over 200%.
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