Attaining zero maternal mortality
It is said that about 25 lakh deliveries take place in the country every year and about 3.5 lakh mothers suffer from delivery-related complications. And still 85 percent births in our country benefit from medical facilities. Our maternal deaths fell from 322 per 100,000 in 2001 to 194 in 2010, a 40 percent decline in nine years. But still attaining MDG-5 requires a lot of efforts…to achieve a further reduction of 25 percent. Moreover, in the recent years an understanding is growing that reducing maternal mortality and morbidity is not solely an issue of development, but a matter of human rights. The Human Rights Council specifies a range of human rights directly implicated by maternal mortality and morbidity in its resolution 11/8, paragraph 2. Now no scope remains for ignoring the fact that safe motherhood is a woman's right.
However, despite some improvements in female education and employment, formulation of laws and policies in recent years in our country, women in general hold a subordinate position in the society which does not allow them to seek appropriate healthcare at the time of their need. Thus motherhood, which should be a positive and fulfilling experience for all women, brings unbearable sufferings to most of the women, which sometimes even leads to death. All-out efforts should be made by all concerned to reduce maternal mortality rate to zero.
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