State’s maternal mortality ratio drops to all-time low of 18

Kerala’s maternal mortality ratio (MMR) has dropped to an all-time low of 18 (per one lakh live births), according to the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) special bulletin on maternal mortality in India (2020-22), brought out by the office of the Registrar General of India.

According to the SRS bulletin (2020-22), Kerala’s MMR dropped two points from 20 in 2019-21 to the current level of 18. While the SRS figures will be quoted as the official stats, Health department officials point out that the figure cannot be further from reality, considering the fact that Kerala had lost 97 pregnant women to COVID during the survey period.

Before the pandemic, Kerala had achieved an MMR of 30 by 2020, one of the U.N. Sustainable Development Goals, that too, one year ahead. However, during the second wave of COVID, the MMR rose significantly, almost doubling, when compared to the pre-pandemic levels. Health department’s official figures say that the first two waves of COVID claimed 97 maternal lives in Kerala

On an average, some 120-140 maternal deaths are annually reported in the State. But in 2021-22, the number of maternal ḍeaths rose to 220 on account of COVID.

“Kerala’s MMR, according to the line list data the Health department collectS from districts and as reported in the HMIS (Health Management Information System) portal, rose sharply to 51 in 2021-22 because the number of maternal deaths shot up to 220. This dipped to 28 in 2022-23 as soon as COVID waves receded,” a senior Health official pointed out.

Kerala’s current MMR (2023-24), stands at 32, as per the Health department’s stats, he added.

While the SRS figures are arrived at using the sample survey system, the Health department goes by the actual line list of maternal deaths it gathers from districts and hence both figures are always at variance.

Despite the variance in SRS data and the State Health department’s data, Kerala, however continues to hold its prime position of having the lowest MMR, thanks to the targeted quality improvement initiatives it has implemented over the past decade or more to reduce maternal deaths.

However, safe motherhood continues to be a goal that the State cannot take its eyes off because the last mile reduction of causes leading to maternal deaths has been getting increasingly difficult, given the changing lifestyle, higher age at parity and the rising burden of chronic conditions including obesity, diabetes and hypertension in women.

“Annual child births have been declining steadily in Kerala and as of 2023-24, we had just 3,74,078 child births (HMIS data). Given that MMR is calculated as a proportion of maternal deaths per 1,00,000 live births, our MMR figure is unlikely to dip further,” the official added

Published - June 16, 2025 09:05 pm IST