By Express News Service
BHUBANESWAR: The latest Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin recording a sharp dip in maternal mortality rate (MMR) in the country poses an inconvenient question at the Odisha Government’s health care system.
Though the State has registered a faster drop in MMR compared to the national rate of reduction, it is the tardiest among Empowered Action Group (EAG) which comprises 9 States.
The EAG comprises Assam, Bihar/Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh/Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh/Uttarakhand apart from Odisha. Interestingly, all the EAG States are BJP-ruled which makes Odisha’s claims of improved health care for women look particularly out of place.Between 2011-13 and 2014-16, Odisha saw an MMR drop from 222 to 180 (a 42 point fall) per 1 lakh live births. The national drop was 37 in this period.
Among these States, UP’s drop has been the sharpest though. From an MMR of 285, it saw the maternal mortality reduced to 201 per 1 lakh live births, a massive 84 point drop.Similarly, in Assam, the drop was 63 points, 52 in Madhya Pradesh, 45 in Rajasthan and 43 in Bihar/Jharkhand thereby leaving Odisha down at the bottom in the EAG.
While Health Department claimed that the State has bettered its MMR, Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan poo-poohed the State for its attempts to fool the people with such statistics.
Taking to the micro-blogging site Twitter Pradhan said, Odisha Government is fooling the people by comparing its statistics with developed states which already have better indicators which is why the MMR drop is low. Instead, it should put its performance in the EAG category where it is clearly lagging behind, he said.
.jpg)