Tag: india

• Sep 1, 2010

  Proud to be Indian and Making a Difference in Women’s Lives

  Sitting here in Delhi at the Global Maternal Health Conference in the India Habitat Center, I feel proud to be Indian. Yes, in part it is that the conference is well-run, and the speakers are thoughtful and thought-provoking, but also it is the fact that India is among the countries showing steady decline in the numbers of deaths related to pregnancy. In fact, the latest The Lancet numbers suggest we may be achieving as many as 4% fewer deaths every year in India. These numbers reflect years of work and commitment on the part of many groups, including the Indian government. At the conference’s opening session, a number of government representatives spoke, including Dr. Montek Singh Ahulwalia, the deputy chairman of the planning commission. He pointed out that in 2004, India spent less than 1% of its GDP on public health; today that number is 1.2%. In the next five years, the government plans to increase spending on health to 3% of the GDP. In terms of the government’s focus on saving women’s lives, Minister of Health and Family Welfare Ghulam Nabi Azad said, “Finding the solution is not the challenge; the challenge is in implementing the... Read More »

  Posted by K. G. Venkateswaran at 3 Comments

• Aug 19, 2010

  Challenge and Change: Integrating the Challenge of Gender Norms and Sexuality in a Maternal Health Program

  CARE and the International Center for Research on Women recently released Challenge and Change: Integrating the Challenge of Gender Norms and Sexuality in a Maternal Health Program. This report documents some of the processes undertaken to integrate gender and sexuality factors into a maternal health project in Uttar Pradesh, India, from 2007-2009. It's available through the HRH Global Resource Center.

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• Apr 16, 2010

  Lancet Reports Steady Decline in Maternal Deaths Throughout the World: A Perspective from India

  Findings from secondary data sources of maternal mortality of 181 countries strongly suggest that the number of women dying from pregnancy or childbirth has declined sharply since 1980. The New York Times covered the story on April 13, citing research published in the Lancet . (Free registration is required to view the Lancet article.) The Lancet’s article is definitely worth noting, and is rich in context and methodological discussion.  Exciting news:  India is among the leading countries in having reducing maternal mortality in the last 15 years (an average of 4% per year)!  This is, indeed, noteworthy in a country with the world’s second largest population (estimated at 1.15 billion in 2009). India now has an estimated maternal mortality rate (at 254 per 100,000 live births) comparable to Indonesia (which is at 229), despite a very different economic situation.  This is largely due to decreased total fertility rate, and some increase in maternal education—but also in the significant jump in skilled birth attendance at delivery.  IntraHealth’s Vistaar Project in India is proud to be part of the... Read More »

  Posted by Martha Carlough at 0 Comments