77,000 maternal deaths per year in India

A woman dies every seven minutes in India due to complications related to pregnancy, the Lok Sabha (Lower House of Indian Parliament) was informed today. "There are approximately 77,000 maternal deaths per year, which in other words mean one women dies every seven minutes due to complications related to pregnancy and child birth," said Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Panabaka Lakshmi in a written reply in Lok Sabha.

She said these findings were based on the official estimates of Registrar General of India (RGI). The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) for India (2001-03) is 301 per 100,000 live births.
Lakshmi informed the House that as per the latest survey reports, the reasons for high Maternal Mortality in the country are--Hemorrhage (38 percent), Sepsis (11 percent), Abortion (eight percent), Obstructed Labor (five percent), Hypertensive Disorders (five percent) and other reasons (34 percent). "To provide basic facilities in rural areas including those at the time of delivery, the government has launched the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) in the year 2005 with special emphasis on improving the health status of rural population throughout the country," she said.

The mission will operate over a period of seven years from 2005 to 2012 with the goal of achieving reduction of Maternal Mortality Ratio to 100 per 100,000 live births, she added.