It is a well-established fact that men have long kept women on the margins. And as the Government of India moves forward with Mission Viksit Bharat 2047, women are once again being sidelined in this initiative.
Evidence of this lies in the fact that, since May 2026, more than 20 women have lost their lives during or after childbirth in hospitals across Rajasthan. Between May 5 and 17, five women lost their lives in a government hospital in Kota, the parliamentary constituency of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla. The situation worsened in July, when nine women died in government hospitals across the districts of Bhilwara and Banswara within just six days.
This grim trend shows no signs of abating. Most recently, on July 25, 2026, Nisha Meena lost her life following childbirth at a government hospital in Bundi. Given this situation, several inevitable questions arise: why, in an era of rapid technological advancement, are women still being deprived of basic healthcare facilities? Why is a state like Rajasthan still unable to prevent maternal deaths? How is it possible that so many women have lost their lives due to negligence, yet this issue has never become a significant electoral issue for any political party? It is also essential to identify the reasons why governments are not making any meaningful efforts to address high maternal mortality rates.
Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) and the cause of maternal deaths
Despite large-scale programmes and the availability of the necessary technology to prevent maternal deaths, India’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has not declined significantly. High maternal mortality rates remain a major cause for concern, particularly in the northern states of India.
India’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) stands at 87 deaths per 100,000 live births. The state of Uttar Pradesh, which has the largest population in the country, records the highest MMR, at 154 deaths per 100,000 live births, as per the Nutrition of India Report, 2025. Madhya Pradesh ranks second, with 135 deaths per 100,000 live births. Odisha and Chhattisgarh share third place, with 124 deaths each, while Rajasthan ranks eighth.
However, following a recent spate of more than 20 consecutive deaths, Rajasthan is once again on the verge of rivalling Uttar Pradesh’s figures. This situation persists despite the fact that, at the turn of the century, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) placed maternal and child health at the centre of the fight against poverty and inequality, framing it as a human rights issue and establishing the principle that no mother should die during the natural process of childbirth. Yet hundreds of thousands of mothers continue to die every year, mostly from preventable causes.
Apart from the negligence of the hospital administrations, the primary medical causes of maternal deaths include bleeding (haemorrhage), severe anaemia, obstructed labour, postpartum infection (puerperal sepsis), and other such complications. Investigations into recent incidents revealed that counterfeit oxytocin injections, containing only water instead of the actual medication, were administered. This led to uncontrolled postpartum bleeding and to the women’s deaths Although medical professionals are well aware that these causes can be managed through proper clinical and obstetric care and simple interventions, women continue to lose their lives.
It is a fact that, in developing countries, a pregnant woman faces a risk of death 200 times higher than that of her counterpart in a developed nation. Moreover, the health of pregnant women is often overlooked within the household, and they may not receive adequate rest. Consequently, they gradually become severely weak. A lack of blood, platelets, and essential nutrients at the time of delivery can also lead to their death.
Measures to curb maternal mortality
The Government of India has launched several programmes to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality and improve maternal healthcare. For instance, the Janani Suraksha Yojana promotes institutional deliveries (hospital births), particularly among marginalised women. The Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana provides maternity benefits for the first living child. The Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram ensures free delivery, medicines, diagnostic services, transport, food, and blood services at government facilities.
The SUMAN initiative provides free, high-quality care for mothers and newborns, while PMSMA facilitates free antenatal check-ups on the 9th of every month. Other measures include training doctors in obstetric and anaesthesia services, implementing Maternal Death Surveillance and Review and organising monthly Village Health, Sanitation, and Nutrition Days. Awareness campaigns, MCP cards, safe motherhood booklets, and the RCH portal promote timely antenatal and postnatal care. Healthcare infrastructure is strengthened through improved abortion care services, designated delivery points, First Referral Units, MCH wings, and obstetric ICUs/HDUs, thereby ensuring better emergency and comprehensive maternal care.
However, despite all these measures, the situation shows no signs of improvement because the root cause lies in a mindset that refuses to change. In our patriarchal society, neither doctors nor family members view women’s lives as having equal value.
Although this is such a crucial issue, it has never significantly influenced politics because neither politicians nor political parties have prioritised women’s votes. In the early decades following independence, women’s voting choices were often influenced or controlled by the men in their lives, whereas in recent decades, women have increasingly been wooed through pre-election schemes offering cash handouts. The reality is that unless individuals or communities recognise the true value of their votes, there is little hope of any improvement in their lives. Therefore, women must first recognise their rights and demand better healthcare from political parties and the government; only then can meaningful change occur.
Beyond all this, families must also take responsibility for caring for pregnant women at home, ensuring that they undergo regular check-ups, and maintain healthy haemoglobin levels and other vital health parameters. As the delivery date approaches, families should remain prepared to take the expectant mother to hospital at a moment’s notice, without taking any unnecessary risks. Essentially, family members should make themselves available to look after the expectant mother during this crucial period, fully discharging their responsibilities.
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