pregnancy and Women’s Health

pregnancy and Women’s Health
In India, women have on average 3-5 pregnancies and they spend percent of their reproductive years in pregnancy and lactation. Study shows that in the low income group pregnant women have deficiency of 1,100 calories and lactating women 1,000 calories. Women of the lower socio-economic groups gain only around 3-5 kilograms during pregnancy which is far less than the required weight. Anaemia in accounts directly 15 to 20 percent of all maternal deaths in India.
The maternal-mortality according to official report is 400 to 500 per 100,000 births. However, this figure is as high as 1,000 to 1,200 in some rural areas. Again, more than 71 percent and 29 percent of the deliveries in the rural and urban areas took place without trained personnel..
In most of the rural areas, Medical Termination of Pregnancy services are not available. Besides, women are not aware about the Medical Termination of Pregnancy Act, 1971 that has made abortion legal. Hence, illegal abortions by incompetent persons continue, resulting in abortion-related mortality and morbidity as serious problems
Dovetailing of IGMSY (Indira Gandhi Matritva Sahyog Yojana), National Food Security Bill (NFSB) and related State schemes with NRHM will be undertaken for an effective convergence of programmes relating to pregnant and lactating mothers. Successful State level schemes/initiatives for reducing MMR would be considered for replication.
Paucity of adequate medical care during sterilisation
It has also led to many women deaths. In November last year, among 83 women, 13 women died due to botched sterilisation drive in Chhattisgarh. According to the annual report of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, 3.9 million sterilisations were performed in 2013-14. Data from the Lok Sabha reports 707 deaths due to failed terilisati procedures between 2009 and 2012.
The article added that male sterilisation has fallen sharply from 3.5% during the first health survey in 1992-93 to only 1% during the last health survey in 2005-06.