Did you know that somewhere in the world every day and most often in a developing country, women die from pregnancy related complications or during childbirth? We are trying to advance and progress, aren’t we? But, how can we achieve our goals when we lose precious lives on a daily basis? India contributes nearly one quarter of the world’s maternal deaths, so its slow progress becomes a hindrance, not only for achieving its own targets but also the global achievement of the Millennium Development Goal. It aims to reduce maternal mortality by 75% from 1990 levels by the year 2015.

Maternal mortality rates are much higher in developing countries (nearly 99 percent). It’s a health static with the largest disparity between developed and developing countries. To curb it, the government has to redouble its efforts and take concrete measures to make real progress. Medical conditions of pregnant women need to improve. It is imperative for women to understand what measures they need to take to ensure safe child birth and safeguard their own health.
Are women, especially in rural India even aware of the kind of complications that can arise during pregnancy? These complications have become one of the leading causes of death and disability for women in the age group of 15 to 49.

Awareness

Access to information and services to protect women’s health are the need of the hour. Women need to be aware of what can ensure safe delivery of their child. They need to know how unsafe it is to give birth in the absence of a trained medical professional. The stigma attached with unwed mothers also acts as a roadblock as women are ashamed of getting medical help during such circumstances. Unsafe practices will come to a stop when women realise the risk factors that are involved with pregnancy and delivery of their child.

Medical Help

Motherhood is considered to be safe when women receive the care that they need in order to be safe and healthy throughout pregnancy and childbirth. The professional pre-natal or delivery care women receive has increased by one-half and one-third, respectively, from 1993 to 2006. Nearly three-fourths of women still give birth with no medical professional in attendance. This has mostly been seen in parts of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar. Mortality rates will not reduce without proper medical facilities. Rural India lags far behind in such matters. It’s time the government and its citizens took this matter seriously and grant it the attention it rightly deserves. How can the nation progress when its women are deprived of basic medical help.

Only when the message spreads and women become aware of the risk factors of these unsafe practices will the maternal mortality be reduced. 

Team MSN She