Gujarat behind national average in fall in maternal mortality rate

Gujarat has done a little worse than the national average when it comes to achieving decline in the Total Fertility Rate (TFR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR), according to the Union Health Ministry.

TFR, which signifies the number of children born per woman, fell from 2.8 in 2005 to 2.4 in 2011 in the state, as per the Sample Registration System (SRS) data. The national decline in TFR in this period was 17.2%, from 2.9 in 2005 to 2.4 in 2011.

The state registered 23.75% decline in Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) -- the number of maternal deaths per lakh live births. Between 2004-06, the MMR was 160, while the same during 2010-12 was 122. The national decline, during the same period, was 29.9%. However, Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) -- number of child deaths per 1,000 live births -- fell in the state from 54 in 2005 to 38 in 2012, registering a 29.63% fall, higher than the national decline of 27.5%.

Maternal and Child Health Tracking System (MCTS) under the National Rural Health Mission has been put in place in all the districts of the state, the report said. "Total of 42,17,965 pregnant women and 30,73,905 children have been registered with MCTS since inception," it said.

The Centre has given Rs 4,164.34 crore to the state under the NRHM since the programme began. For 2013-14, Rs 608.41 crore have been released.

Of the 1,158 Primary Health Centres (PHCs) in the state, 101 (9%) are functioning 24x7, the report said.

Under the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), launched in June 2011, the state has implemented all the entitlements (free diet, free drugs and diagnostics, free referral transport to pregnant mothers and their children upto 1 years) in all the districts.

Rs 29.56 crore have been sanctioned under the JSSK for 2013-14 to Gujarat, the report said. The report further said that in addition to Ahmedabad city, National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke is being implemented in six districts - Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Surendranagar, Jamnagar, Porbandar and Junagadh.

Of the 34.90 lakh persons who have been screened in the state for diabetes and hypertension, 9.44% were suspected to be diabetic and 6.86% showed tendency to be hypertensive, it said.