Weekly checks on expectant moms reduce maternal deaths in Tiruchy

Move to shift from monthly monitoring credited for Tiruchy's MMR reading 42.1 in 2024-25

- PEARSON LENEKAR SR @Tiruchy

The efforts of health workers like village health nurses and Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam personnel to curb the maternal mortality rate (MMR) in Tiruchy district have paid off well in the 2024-25 period after the rate worsened the previous year.

Data from the health authorities show there is a sharp decline in maternal mortality, thanks to a proactive shift from monthly to weekly monitoring of high-risk pregnancies.

The MMR plunged from 67.5 in the April 2023-March 2024 period to 42.1 from April 2024 to January 2025, whereas it was only 48 in the corresponding previous year, 2022-23.

Officials said the lives of many pregnant women have been saved due to timely interventions made possible by increased surveillance brought about by a joint initiative by the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS), the social welfare department and the health department.