Telangana shows the way in Maternal Mortality Rate reduction

The November report of Sample Registration Survey has Telangana in top three India States and top two States in Southern India for having the best Maternal Mortality Rate.

Hyderabad: Innovative schemes taken up to improve healthcare facilities for pregnant women by the State government has put Telangana right at the top amongst Indian States with best healthcare parameters.

The November report of Sample Registration Survey (SRS) has Telangana in top three India States and top two States in Southern India for having the best Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR).

Nationally, with an MMR, which is the number of maternal deaths for 1,00,000 live births, of 43, Telangana is behind Kerala and Maharashtra while in South India, it is in second spot behind Kerala, which has an MMR of 19, the SRS report released by Registrar General of India, Government of India, said.

The report also clearly indicated that Telangana has outperformed all the BJP-ruled States, which are languishing at the bottom with a relatively higher MMR, compared to even the national average of 97 maternal deaths.

The drop in MMR has been quite dramatic since Statehood. In 2014, the MMR in Telangana was around 92, which has reduced to 43 now. “While India reduced MMR only by 25 per cent, Telangana has reduced by massive 53 per cent from 92 in 2014 to 43 in 2020. We rank third in India for overall reduction in MMR,” Health Minister, T Harish Rao on Tuesday said.

He attributed the results to the Chief Minister, K Chandrashekhar Rao framing unique schemes meant to take care of maternal health. “The SRS report is an endorsement to the visionary schemes like KCR Kits of the Chief Minister. The BJP-ruled states that often boost of double-engine growth have continued to remain laggards, while Telangana continues to take care of its people by prioritizing public health,” Harish Rao said.