581 mn Indians in country's 9 poorest states live without proper healthcare

Seven of the nine 'high-focus' states report underspending on healthcare

Nine of India’s poorest states–home to 581 million or 48% of India’s population–account for 70% of the country’s infant deaths, 75% of under-five deaths and 62% of maternal deaths, but do not spend even the money they have set aside for healthcare, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of 2017 Reserve Bank of India data on state budgets.

The data also reveal:

a. The maternal mortality ratio–deaths of mothers per 100,000 births–in these states is 32% higher (244) than the national average (167).