SHILLONG, March 1: Meghalaya has achieved a significant milestone in public health, reducing its Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) by approximately 50% between 2021 and 2024, thanks to the state’s innovative ‘Rescue Mission’.
In 2020-2021, Meghalaya’s MMR stood at 243 per 100,000 live births. This figure declined to 155 in 2022-2023 and further to 107 by January 2024.
The ‘Rescue Mission’, launched in December 2020, employs a decentralized, problem-solving approach to address maternal health challenges. It emphasises improving healthcare service delivery and increasing demand through community engagement at state, district, facility, and community levels.
Key strategies under this mission include regular review meetings at various administrative levels to enhance accountability and decision-making.
The initiative also focuses on increasing institutional deliveries, providing timely antenatal and postnatal care, and addressing socio-cultural factors contributing to maternal mortality.
The state has also recorded a 34% reduction in infant mortality (under-five child mortality) between 2021 and 2024.
Despite these advancements, challenges remain. As per the Meghalaya Health Policy, 17% of pregnancies were among teenagers, 59% of women were severely anemic, 49% of births occurred at home or during transit, and 40% of mothers had five or more pregnancies.
