India has observed an improvement in the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR). According to the Office of the Registrar General’s Sample Registration System (SRS), the ratio has dropped from 113 in 2016-18 to 103 in 2017-19, with the country witnessing a progressive reduction in MMR consecutively for three years.

According to a special bulletin by the Office of the Registrar General’s Sample Registration System (SRS), this improvement was indicative that the country was on track to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target of 70 per lakh live births by 2030.

Kerala, Maharashtra, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Gujarat were the seven states to achieve the SDG target. These, and two other states, including Karnataka and Haryana, have achieved the target of MMR set by the National Health Policy (100 per lakh live births by 2020).

Kerala, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh showed an over 15% decline in MMR; Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Bihar, Punjab, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh showed a decline of 10-15%, while a decline of 5-10% was observed in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Odisha and Karnataka. (ETHealthWorld, March 14, 2022)