India, which accounts for the largest number of maternal deaths in the world, is unlikely to achieve the fifth Millennium Development Goal of reducing maternal mortality to 109 per 1,00,000 live births by 2015. Though India has been reporting a steady decline in the maternal mortality rate (MMR), the latest figure of 178 per 1,00,000 live births in 2010-12 is an indication that the United Nations’ goal will be missed, say two reports — “Dead women talking: a civil society report on maternal deaths in India” drafted by CommonHealth and Jan Swasthya Abhiyan and “India infrastructure report — the road to universal health coverage,” released by the Infrastructure Development Finance Company here this past week. Preventable deaths In their report, CommonHealth and Jan Swasthya Abhiyan, a coalition for maternal-neonatal health and safe abortion, have cited gaps in the implementation of interventions by the government through the National Rural Health Mission. Their report says a significant percentage of women who died were from socially and economically disadvantaged sections. The public health system, it says, failed women belonging to the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, minority religious groups, those living in geographically remote areas and migrants because of the way services such as antenatal and post-partum care are structured and delivered at present.

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