Number of births by type in India FY 2015-2020
In fiscal year 2020, over four million children in India were born through institutional deliveries, and a little over 277 thousand were home births. The overall data shows a growing trend of institutional deliveries at hospitals or primary health centres, compared to ones at home. This indicated an improvement in India’s efforts at improving maternity care facilities.
Childbirth assistance
However, this does not guarantee proper care and attention to the millions of expectant mothers each year in this south-Asian country. In the first half of 2020, over 112 thousand women in the state of Uttar Pradesh were reported to have given birth at home. Of these, only about 16 thousand women delivered with the help of skilled birth attendants.
Decline in maternal mortality
In order to improve these metrics, the government has established the world’s largest network of grass root healthcare workers for pregnant women. This has helped reduce the maternal mortality rate by a considerable margin over the last two decades. From about 471 pregnancy-related deaths for every 100,000 live births in 1995, the country’s maternal mortality ratio has gone down to 174 in 2015.
Childbirth assistance
However, this does not guarantee proper care and attention to the millions of expectant mothers each year in this south-Asian country. In the first half of 2020, over 112 thousand women in the state of Uttar Pradesh were reported to have given birth at home. Of these, only about 16 thousand women delivered with the help of skilled birth attendants.
Decline in maternal mortality
In order to improve these metrics, the government has established the world’s largest network of grass root healthcare workers for pregnant women. This has helped reduce the maternal mortality rate by a considerable margin over the last two decades. From about 471 pregnancy-related deaths for every 100,000 live births in 1995, the country’s maternal mortality ratio has gone down to 174 in 2015.
