Guwahati, March 06: Assam has seen a sharp fall (34%) in maternal deaths from a year earlier, while infant mortality in the state has fallen by 13%, the Assam National Health Mission (NHM) said.
The number of maternal deaths in 2022-23 (May – February) was 448 compared to 680 in the corresponding period 2021-22, representing a decrease of 232 deaths.
The number of infant deaths in 2022-23 (May – February) was 5,805, while the corresponding number was 6,721 in 2021-22 (May – February), a decrease of 916 deaths or 13.6%. It should be noted that until recently Assam was among the worst states in the country in terms of maternal mortality rate.
The latest findings were presented on Saturday at the Swasthya Manthan-6 conference organized by Assam NHM to review the district’s health landscape. Stakeholders from all the districts took part in the event and a district-wise review was also done.
Health officials gave credit to the renewed strategy of probing deep into maternal and child death cases for the remarkable improvement.
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According to the Registrar General of India’s ‘Special Bulletin on Maternal Mortality’ for the period 2018 to 2020 released last year, Assam recorded 195 deaths per lakh live births, though it was an improvement from the previous figure of 215 in the period 2016 to 2018.
Nationally, there has been a significant decline in the MMR from 130 in 2014-16 to 97 per lakh live births in 2018-20. In 2005, Assam’s MMR was 480 per one lakh live births.
Assam’s infant mortality rate (IMR) was 36 deaths per 1,000 live births as against the national average of 28, as per the Sample Registration System Statistical Report 2020 published last year.
