MOTHER Project yields impressive results
By Our Reporter
SHILLONG, Nov 29: A new independent study has provided strong evidence that Meghalaya’s flagship MOTHER Project, launched in 2019, is delivering substantial improvements in maternal and child health indicators.
Published in the International Journal of Scientific Research and Technology, the peer-reviewed research analysed government health data from 2019–2024 and included field interviews with frontline workers across several districts. The study was led by Sayandip Gangopadhyay, PhD scholar at KIIT School of Public Health, and Sudipta Das, Assistant Professor at NSHM Business School, Durgapur.
The report states that Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) plunged from 318 to 172 per 100,000 live births — a sharp 45.9% decline while institutional deliveries rose from 57.7% to 74.1%, reducing home births by over a third.
The Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) fell from 29.9 to 24.4 per 1,000 live births, while full immunisation coverage among children increased from 61.4% to 85.7%. Completion of at least four antenatal care visits jumped from 72.7% to 93.2% while early pregnancy registration (within the first trimester) improved from 32.1% to 56.9%.
The researchers attribute these gains to a combination of digital tools (the real-time MOTHER App), transport incentives under the Chief Minister’s Safe Motherhood Scheme, stronger Village Health Councils, and better monitoring and neonatal care.
Despite the progress, challenges persist, the research notes.
One in four births still occurs at home, largely because of difficult terrain, cultural preference for traditional birth attendants, and the pressure on mothers to resume household and childcare duties quickly. Late pregnancy registration, high fertility rates, and uneven quality of health facilities also remain concerns, the report says.
The authors recommend sustained focus on expanding internal performance agreements for health staff; deeper community engagement and behaviour-change initiatives; additional support for mothers with multiple young children and more integrated and real-time data systems.
The study concludes that the MOTHER Project has emerged as one of Meghalaya’s most successful public health initiatives in recent years, significantly narrowing the state’s historical gap with national averages and placing it on a credible path to meet Sustainable Development Goal targets for maternal and child survival well before 2030.
