By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 19: Chief Minister Conrad Sangma has claimed that Meghalaya has recorded one of the fastest reductions in maternal mortality in the country.
Addressing a gathering after inaugurating an Operation Theatre complex at Sohra CHC on Wednesday, Sangma said Meghalaya is now close to the national average in terms of maternal mortality.
“We are hovering around 110,” he said, recalling that the state’s Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) was as high as 230 in 2018—one of the worst in the country at the time—mainly due to the inability to identify high-risk mothers.
He informed that the government initially pushed mothers to opt for institutional deliveries to bring down the MMR, but the strategy did not yield significant results, prompting a deeper study into the issue.
“We realised that 10-15 per cent of mothers were high-risk,” he said, adding that many pregnant women lacked adequate spacing between births and did not have sufficient access to proper facilities.
The chief minister said the government now uses an app to monitor all pregnant mothers, and has developed a strategy to connect them with Safe Motherhood Homes, where both the pregnant mother and her attendant are provided Rs 500 per day along with clean accommodation and food.
Sangma added that impactful change does not always come from major investments or infrastructure, but often from “small differences that make big differences.”
He further informed that the state government has introduced the concept of outcome-based budgeting, which will first be implemented in the Health department. Under this model, funds will be allocated to hospitals based on their needs and performance.
“It will depend on the hospitals how they utilize the funds,” he said.
Earlier, Health Minister Wailadmiki Shylla lauded the team at Sohra CHC for delivering top-notch health services to the people of the area.
Local MLA Gavin Miguel Mylliem also said Sohra CHC is among the best in the country, with doctors providing exemplary service. He thanked the Government for bringing significant development to Sohra in the past month.
Earlier in the day, the chief minister also laid the foundation for the second phase of the Sohra Market.
