Is Maternal Mortality in India Expecting the “Revised” Millennium Development Goal?

Abstract

Internationally, the position of India’s maternal mortality is worse still in the early 21st Century when Millennium Development Goal (MMR) prescribed a level of 109 maternal deaths/ 100,000 live births by 2015 but further revised the goal of 135 on the basis of present position. The background information of the recent figure of 212 of India during 2007-09 (RG, 2011) is not at all encouraging. Naturally, the interest of researchers, in particular grows to study in detail to understand the present situation, differentials, effects of different factors and future trend. Objective of the present study is to investigate the level, trend and differential of maternal mortality among the major states in India. Different percentage changes have been calculated and some important graphs have been presented. The analysis has further been conducted making states into groups as per Government of India’s grouping. A statistical analysis is done by calculating group means and standard error to know the different group level, trend of MMR vis-avis the socio demographic economic and infrastructural variables. The findings show an overall declining trend in MMR in India and a diversified change in the individual states with other indicators. A reducing level of MMR as well as improvement in different indicators particularly in southern group of states and some amount in other group as compared to Empowered Action Group (EAG) including Assam. The implication of the findings reflects while in some states the goal has already been achieved, but in most of the major states the level is too far from the target. To achieve the goal, GOI should give more and more emphasis on the undeveloped states in regard to their development in different socio-economic-health and infrastructural aspects in order to achieve the revised goal of 135.