THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
(SHRI ABU HASEM KHAN CHOUDHURY)
(a) No.
(b) Does not arise
(c) However, to further accelerate the pace of reduction of Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR),
the key measures taken by the Government of India under the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) are:
# Promotion of institutional deliveries through Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY).
# Operationalization of sub-centers, Primary Health Centers, Community Health Centers
and District Hospitals for providing 24x7 basic and comprehensive obstetric care.
# Capacity building of health care providers in basic and comprehensive obstetric care.
# Mother and Child Protection Card in collaboration with the Ministry of Women and Child
Development to monitor service delivery for mothers and children.
# Name based web enabled tracking of pregnant women has been introduced to ensure timely
antenatal, intranatal and postnatal care.
# Iron and Folic Acid supplementation to pregnant & lactating women for prevention and
treatment of anemia.
# Engagement of 8.84 lakhs Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) to generate demand
and facilitate accessing of health care services by the community.
# Village Health and Nutrition Days in rural areas as an outreach activity, for provision
of maternal and child health services.
# Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK) has been launched to eliminate out-of-pocket
expenses for pregnant women delivering in public health institutions and for sick newborns and
infants accessing public health institutions for treatment.
# To tackle the problem of anemia due to malaria, particularly in pregnant women and
children, Long Lasting Insecticide Nets (LLINs) and Insecticide Treated Bed Nets (ITBNs) are
being distributed in endemic areas.
(d) The Office of Registrar General of India (RGI), Government of India, publishes estimates
of Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) at periodic intervals through the Sample Registration System (SRS), which is one of the largest demographic surveys in the world intended to provide reliable
estimates of fertility and mortality indicators including MMR. The key strengths which have been
built into the SRS and which ensure robust estimates of MMR are:
# The SRS is based on a scientifically drawn random sampling design and a nationally
representative sample.
# A component of verbal autopsy has been introduced into SRS using structured forms.
# The underlying causes of deaths including maternal deaths are assigned by a team of
trained physicians.
