Maternal Care

It is time that lawmakers address the question of delineating the balance between maternal autonomy and foetal rights at the stage of viability, the Delhi High Court has observed. 'Foetal viability' refers to the stage where a foetus can survive outside the womb. The court observed that with the increasing number of cases seeking termination of pregnancy beyond the statutory limit, the question of foetal viability has assumed considerable importance in abortion jurisprudence and the ultimate responsibility to settle the matter rests with the law-making authority. Constitutional courts have, in the absence of legislative clarity, sought to balance competing interests through case-specific adjudication. However, the absence of a clear statutory framework leaves the matter unsettled, the high court said. The high court made the observations while allowing a 15-year-old minor girl to undergo medical termination of pregnancy of 27 weeks, which was a result of sexual assault committed up

Uttar Pradesh has the most pregnant women in the second or third trimester receiving antenatal care under the scheme

A new India-focused study reveals how domestic abuse faced by mothers leave lasting scars on the mental health of their adolescent children, often in hidden, heartbreaking ways

India has made progress in reducing maternal and child deaths, with SRS 2021 data showing declines in MMR, IMR, U5MR and NMR-and improving sex ratio, TFR, and SDG alignment

India has witnessed a significant improvement in key maternal and child health indicators between 2014 and 2021, according to a Health Ministry statement. The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has declined by 37 points from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 93 in 2019-21, the statement mentioned, citing the Sample Registration System (SRS) Report 2021 released by the Registrar General of India (RGI) on Wednesday. Similarly, the downward trend of child mortality indicators continued. The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) has dropped from 39 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 27 per 1000 live births in 2021. The Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) has declined from 26 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 19 per 1000 live births in 2021. Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) has also improved, dropping from 45 in 2014 to 31 per 1000 live births in 2021. The Sex Ratio at Birth also improved between 2014 and 2031, getting better from 899 to 913, respectively. Total Fertility Rate is consistent at 2.0 in 2021

Today one can monitor and blood glucose on smartphones, Using AI, one can address shortage of expertise in reading ultrasounds to allow for healthier pregnancies and better outcomes for moms & babies

Vardhan, while chairing a virtual meeting on the occasion of World Population Day, also said that this was achieved due to substantial investment in the family planning programme

The White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood, India, is advocating proper and basic quality care at health centre facilities for women

Practised on a larger scale, delayed childbearing could significantly curtail population growth

Nearly five women die every hour in India from complications during childbirth

According to a recent WHO report, approximately 28 million pregnancies, 67,000 maternal deaths and a million neonatal deaths occur every year in India