Abstract
Maternal health remains a crucial public health priority in India, reflecting the broader socio-economic and healthcare landscape. Despite initiatives like RMNCH+A and Surakshit Matritva Ashwasan, maternal mortality and morbidity persist, especially in rural and underserved regions. Key barriers include inadequate access, delayed care, socio-cultural practices, and lack of awareness. Addressing both direct and indirect causes through strategies like the three delays model and routine maternal death reviews is essential. A comprehensive approach-combining quality care, community-based interventions, and targeted policy implementation can significantly reduce preventable maternal deaths and ensure respectful, accessible, and equitable maternity care across the country.
References
1. Maternal Health and Family Welfare. Maternal & Newborn Health Toolkit. p. 160.
2. Mehta K, Zodpey S, Banerjee P, Pocius SL, Dhaliwal BK, DeLuca A, et al. Shifting research priorities in maternal and child health in the COVID-19 pandemic era in India: A renewed focus on systems strengthening. PLoS One. Public Library of Science; 2021 Aug 1;16(8):0256099. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0256099
3. Kana MA, Doctor HV, Peleteiro B, Lunet N, Barros H. Maternal and child health interventions in Nigeria: a systematic review of published studies from 1990 to 2014. BMC Public Health. 2015 Dec 1;15:334 doi: 10.1186/s12889-015-1688-3
4. National Health Mission. Maternal Health : National Health Mission. New Delhi: Government of India. 2021 [cited 2022 May 17]. Available from: https://nhm.gov.in/index1.php?lang=1&level=2&sublinkid=822&lid=218
5. Singh P, Singh KK, Singh P. Maternal health care service utilization among young married women in India, 1992–2016: trends and determinants. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. BioMed Central; 2021 Dec 1;21:122. doi: 10.1186/s12884-021-03607-w
6. Ghosh A, Ghosh R. Maternal health care in India: A reflection of 10 years of National Health Mission on the Indian maternal health scenario. Sex Reprod Healthc. Elsevier; 2020 Oct 1;25:100530. doi: 10.1016/j.srhc.2020.100530
7. National Family Health Survey. National Family Health Survey , India. 2018;(March):1–735.
8. Thaddeus S, Maine D. Too far to walk: Maternal mortality in context. Soc Sci Med. Pergamon; 1994 Apr 1;38(8):1091–110. doi: 10.1016/0277-9536(94)90226-7
9. Gabrysch S, Campbell OMR. Still too far to walk: literature review of the determinants of delivery service use. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth; 2009 Aug 11;9:34. doi: 10.1186/1471-2393-9-34
10. Kalter HD, Mohan P, Mishra A, Gaonkar N, Biswas AB, Balakrishnan S, et al. Maternal death inquiry and response in India - the impact of contextual factors on defining an optimal model to help meet critical maternal health policy objectives. Heal Res Policy Syst. BioMed Central; 2011 Jan 30;9:41. doi: 10.1186/1478-4505-9-41
11. Proceedings of “FETP-ICON 2020” Conference: Chennai, India. 3-5 March 2020. BMC Proc. BioMed Central; 2021 Aug;15(Suppl 11):17. doi: 10.1186/s12919-021-00223-6
12. World Health Organization (WHO). Beyond the numbers: Reviewing maternal deaths and disabilities to make pregnancy safer. Geneva, 2004. Available from: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/42984/9241591838.pdf
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
Copyright (c) 2025 Kalpita Shringarpure, Keyur Brahme (Author)