For my final project, I have decided to write about maternal mortality in India. A maternal death, according to the Journal of Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences University (JKIMSU), is the “…death of woman while pregnant or within 42 days of termination of pregnancy…” (Shrotri, 2014). In 2011, the maternal deaths were 167 per 100,000 live births in India. (Maternal mortality, 2018) According to survey conducted by Ann L. Montgomery et al., the rising concern with, and some of the main causes of, the high maternal mortality is due to the variation in socioeconomic factors within the country, the limited access to healthcare in rural areas, and the quality of obstetric services that are available to women. (Montgomery, et al., 2014) According to an article in JKIMSU, “The death of a woman during pregnancy or childbirth is not only a health issue but also a matter of social injustice, as it violates the basic human right, the ‘Right to Live’ for the deceased woman.” (Shrotri, 2014) In response to this injustice, the government has instituted several programs to assist women in getting proper care during pregnancy, delivery, and post-delivery. (Shrotri, 2014)

In an article by Goldie et al., implementation of family planning services, proper care during pregnancy and after birth, and providing safe options for abortion could reduce the maternal mortality rate by 75%. (Goldie et al, 2010, Pg. 10) One of the biggest barriers in providing sufficient care in rural areas of India are the qualities of roads, the distance between homes and sufficient care facilities, and a lack of skilled medical professionals or obstetric services as seen in the richer states of the country. (Montgomery et al., 2014) As in many cultures around the world, women are minorities subject to the higher power and control of institutions and political policies created for and by men. As a result, women are subject to possessing lower educational attainments which can lead to increasing the intersecting factors that could lead to maternal mortality. For instance, not knowing the warning signs or symptoms of pregnancy complications, not knowing when to seek obstetric care, and not knowing the several risks that could increase the chance of miscarriage. To protect their social image, they might also seek unsafe abortions in private or through untrustworthy or non-certified individuals who could increase the risk of maternal mortality.

For my final project, I plan to investigate some of the rising and falling rates of maternal mortality and how it has been addressed historically and what might be complicating intervention. This is an important issue to address as both a cultural standpoint and as a public health standpoint. First, from a cultural standpoint, it is important to seek and address the reasons in which women are not able to seek professional medical care, why they are guilted from seeking efficient healthcare services because of their public images, and how to educate women on the importance of obstetric care during and after pregnancy. Addressing the damaging culture that might be preventing women from seeking proper care for themselves or for their children could assist in lower the staggering rates of maternal deaths that occur within the nation. From a public health standpoint, as was stated in JKIMSU, maternal deaths violate basic human rights. (Shrotri, 2014) In order to contain and eradicate preventable diseases, illnesses, ailments, or dangerous habits by women and families, it is important to study maternal mortality rates in both rural and urban areas of the nation to address where the root of the problem is coming from and the causes for what make it still so prevalent. It is not something that can be entirely preventable, but if there are ways in which certain instances can be prevented from causing further death to thousands of mothers, then I think it becomes an important public health issue.

Sources Cited:

Goldie, S. J., Sweet, S., Carvalho, N., Natchu, U. C., & Hu, D. (2010). Alternative Strategies to Reduce Maternal Mortality in India: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis. PLoS Medicine, 7(4), 1-17. Retrieved July 26, 2019.

Maternal mortality drops to 130, Kerala top, big improvement in backward states. (2018, June 7). The Times of India. Retrieved July 26, 2019, from https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/maternal-mortality-drops-to-130-kerala-top-big-improvement-in-backward-states/articleshow/64486279.cms

Montgomery, A. L., Ram, U., Kumar, R., & Jha, P. (2014). Maternal Mortality in India: Causes and Healthcare Service Use Based on a Nationally Representative Survey. PLoS ONE, 9(1). doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0083331

Shrotri, A. (2014). Editorial: Towards Reducing Maternal Mortality in India. Journal of Krishna Institute of Medical Sciences University, 3(1), 1-5. Retrieved July 26, 2019.