Hyderabad: National Safe Motherhood Day, observed on April 11 every year, serves as a platform to advocate for maternal health, ensuring safe childbirth practices, and reducing maternal mortality rates. This day sheds light on the imperative of extending essential care to pregnant women, encompassing various stages from prenatal to postnatal emphasising mental health support.
Background and Significance: Initially, maternal health garnered limited attention globally but gradually emerged as a pivotal concern, as evidenced by its inclusion in the Sustainable Development Goals. Over the years, concerted efforts have led to a 43% decline in maternal mortality rates since 1987, yet challenges persist, with 800 women still succumbing daily to pregnancy-related complications worldwide. Alarmingly, India accounts for 15% of global maternal deaths, with 44,000 women annually facing mortality due to inadequate prenatal care.
History: The White Ribbon Alliance India (WRAI) spearheaded the advocacy for National Safe Motherhood Day, prompting its official recognition by the Indian government in 2003. This important decision coincides with the birth anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi, an emblem of women’s empowerment and the wife of Mahatma Gandhi. India, thus became the pioneer in dedicating a day exclusively to maternal health, setting a precedent for global awareness and action.
Purpose of National Safe Motherhood Day:
- Raise awareness about maternal health and childbirth safety.
- Advocate for safe pregnancy and childbirth practices.
- Mitigate maternal mortality rates through education and support.
- Ensure comprehensive care for pregnant women, including postpartum well-being.
- Promote collaboration between NGOs and governmental bodies to enhance maternal welfare.
Key Statistics on Maternal Health
- In 2020, nearly 300,000 individuals lost their lives during pregnancy or childbirth globally.
- The maternal mortality rate in the United States stands at 32.9 deaths per 100,000 births.
- Every two minutes, a woman dies due to childbirth or pregnancy-related complications worldwide.
- The global maternal mortality rate decreased from 339 in 2000 to 223 in 2020.
- Sustainable Development Goal 3.1 aims to reduce maternal mortality to less than 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030.
- India's maternal mortality rate declined from 384 in 2000 to 103 in 2020, outpacing the global decline.
Initiatives and Programs Supporting Maternal Health:
- Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY): Providing financial assistance to pregnant and lactating mothers.
- Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA): Offering free antenatal care on the 9th day of each month.
- Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN): Ensuring dignified and quality healthcare for women and newborns.
- Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakaram (JSSK): Granting free delivery services and related provisions in public health institutions.
- LaQshya: Enhancing the quality of care in labor rooms and maternity operation theaters.
- Outreach initiatives, such as Village Health, Sanitation, and Nutrition Day (VHSND), extending maternal and child healthcare services to rural areas.
Anganwadi Services: Pregnant women, lactating mothers, and children under the age of six are offered a bundle of six services under the Anganwadi program. The programs include: (i) Nutrition and Health Education; (ii) Preschool Non-Formal Education; (iv) Immunization; (v) Health Check-Up; and (vi) Referral Services. Immunization, health check-up, and referral services are three of the six services that are health-related.
supplied by Public Health Infrastructure & NRHM.Supplementary Nutrition (SNP) is given to expectant mothers and nursing mothers in the form of Take Home Rations, which consist of 18–20 grams of protein and 600 kcal, for 300 days a year, in accordance with standard protocols.
Tips for Ensuring a Safe and Healthy Pregnancy
- Plan and manage chronic health conditions.
- Commence prenatal vitamins containing folic acid before conception.
- Adopt a nutritious diet, engage in regular exercise, and maintain a healthy weight.
- Initiate prenatal care promptly, including physical exams and discussions about maternal and fetal health.
- Avoid alcohol and tobacco consumption to safeguard fetal health.
Quotes Embracing Motherhood:
Agatha Christie: "A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world".
Donna Ball: "Motherhood is a choice you make every day, to put someone else’s happiness and well- being ahead of your own, to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing even when you’re not sure what the right thing is… and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing everything wrong".
Gaspard Mermillod: "A mother is she who can take the place of all others but whose place no one else can take".
Meryl Streep: "Motherhood has a very humanizing effect. Everything gets reduced to essentials".
Pearl S. Buck: "Some kiss mothers and some scold mothers, but it is love just the same, and most mothers kiss and scold together".
