April 11: National Safe Motherhood day

Every year on 11 April, National Safe Motherhood day is being observed across India.
Objective of the day

• To create awareness on proper healthcare and maternity facilities to pregnant and lactating women.
• It also seeks to create awareness about the institutional delivery, reducing anemia among women and better pre and post natal health care are necessary for mothers.

It should be noted that safe motherhood also means to ensure that all women receive the care they need to be safe and healthy throughout pregnancy and childbirth.
Some facts about Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) in India

• India has registered an overall 70 percent decline in MMR during period from 1990 to 2012 as compared to global decline of 45 percent.
• During 2011-13, the MMR has declined 167 per one lakh live births compared to 178 per one-lakh live births in 2010-12.
• The rate of decline in MMR is showing an increasing trend from annual rate of 6.2 percent in 2011-13 compared to 4.1 percent in 2001-03.

Apart from MMR, the institutional delivery in India has risen sharply from 47 per cent in 2007-08 to over 75 per cent in 2013.

Month: Current Affairs - April, 2015