Meghalaya targets national average as maternal deaths drop by 51%

CORRESPONDENT

SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Government has set its sights on achieving the national average in maternal health indicators, even as it has already achieved a landmark 51 percent reduction in maternal mortality and a 37 percent fall in infant deaths since 2020. While Meghalaya is still much ahead of the national average in terms of the Maternal Mortality Rate, Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr. M Ampareen Lyngdoh stressed, “We must achieve the national average and in spite of being one of the most fertile states in India we are keeping this on the wraps and we are addressing this serious problem.” She further said the state will continue to push harder to bring down the maternal mortality rate, aligning efforts with the Sustainable Development Goal of reducing the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) to below 70 by 2030. India’s MMR for 2025 is estimated at 93 per 100,000 live births, according to a government press release.

Speaking on the government’s roadmap, Dr. Lyngdoh recalled the initial push under the MDA government, saying, “When MDA I came this problem was appraised to the Chief and he had not just a sudden plan of action but he kind of paced his action and said that in the next five years we must achieve this much, in the next 10 years it should be this much.”

Expressing gratitude for the combined commitment of health personnel and community leaders, she noted, “We are very grateful to the staff of the DHS and all the doctors, paramedical and medical staffs because this would not have been possible had it not been by public participation. We are so grateful to the village head councils everywhere who have come forward to try and consolidate on safety of mothers, safety of infants and we expect these numbers to drop down much more.”

Highlighting the Chief Minister’s intervention through the flagship “Save Motherhood Scheme,” Dr. Lyngdoh remarked, “The Chief Minister is very clear that every PHC, now even sub centres where deliveries are being conducted must be safe and must be not only safe but also focused on child care.”

She further explained how inter-departmental collaboration is shaping holistic progress, stating, “So now you have seen that MDA in the leadership of our Chief Minister now has gone ahead and is doing many more things, the nutrition of children is a main focus in some of the interdepartmental efforts being put in, the convergence model is not just education but also social welfare and also health department which will work together towards ensuring that nutrition of children is a top priority in every district and every block. We are managing these improvements and our parameters have impacted positively on citizens across the board.”

While acknowledging that gaps remain, Dr. Lyngdoh maintained optimism. “I think we are short by about 15 to 17 percent, we will try to achieve this at the earliest and now we are also looking at mother care, mother care is another big focus for the state of Meghalaya where we are now conducting ground awareness programs with mothers through various health workers, inclusive of ASHAs and Anganwadi workers where we are talking about the safety of mothers, the safety of their motherhood, the seriousness that must be spread on information to ensure that every mother spacing a child becomes strong before she has her second or third or fourth child and she must be able to combat the emergencies that will arise due to this lack of spacing.”

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