How Nuh’s maternal mortality rate dropped 32 points in just 4 years

Incentivising institutional deliveries don’t necessarily ensure a pregnant woman’s nutritional health 

Over 15 years of incentivised institutional delivery: Has it ensured safe births?

The nine focus states continue to have the highest MMR

Maternal mortality in India: What do the recent figures tell us

Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Rajasthan have seen the biggest drop in maternal mortality 

COVID-19 disruptions caused 1.4 million unintended pregnancies: Study

An estimated 12 million women faced this disruption to family planning services for a duration of 3.6 months on an average  

Customary and religious laws are impeding progress towards women’s health in Nigeria

The country has the second-largest HIV epidemic in the world; its women make up more than half of people living with the disease  

This mobile application saves expectant mothers in India

Designed by a Chennai-based gynaecologist, the technology gives medical details of pregnant women to doctors to enable timely treatment 

The role of bias in how women are treated during childbirth: a Kenyan case study

Around 810 women die every day from preventable causes related to pregnancy and childbirth

800 women still die in childbirth every day globally: Unicef report

The lowest coverage levels tend to be in the poorest countries where maternal mortality levels are highest, it says

Africa's non-communicable disease burden likely to worsen without political will

Africa has the resources and support to tackle non-communicable diseases; all it requires is political will to seize the opportunity

Centre defers decision to restrict production of yield-boosting hormone for two months

Decision comes after various states said oxytocin is very important to prevent human maternal mortality

Burden of child brides: Bihar, Rajasthan lead states in marrying off girls early  

Southern states such as Tamil Nadu and Telangana are not doing any better, finds National Health Profile 2018

Health in news on June 7

Here's a round-up of today's news and debate on health

Health in news on May 14

A round-up of what's new in health

Care of the pregnant: Half-hearted attitude

The first 1,000 days of life offer the window of opportunity to reduce maternal and child mortality. It’s time India made the most of it 

Maternal and neonatal mortality rate high despite improvement in childbirth practices

A study conducted in public health centres in Uttar Pradesh shows complying to essential childbirth practices did not significantly alter …

Why social health activists in India live a life of uncertainty

More than 0.87 million ASHAs in India are facing salary issues, lack of incentives and exclusion from social safety schemes

Somali drought heightens risk to mothers during pregnancy and childbirth

About 607,000 pregnant women across Somalia need maternal health services to ensure a safe pregnancy and delivery

One-third of total maternal deaths in 2015 happened in India

At least 45,000 mothers died during pregnancy or childbirth

Having a baby is hard in Ethiopia: women walk a lot, and wait a lot

It's impossible to think about maternal health in Ethiopia without thinking about the time and distance between where rural women live and where …

Umbilical discord

Lack of enforcing protocols is pushing up cesarean deliveries in India

Countries mull strategies to achieve SDGs on maternal and child mortality

Sustainable Development Goals demand end of preventable deaths of newborns and children under five years of age, by 2020

Paramedics show the way

How hundreds of villages in Bangladesh have overcome child and maternal mortality 10 years before the MDG deadline

World Health Statistics 2015: some achievements, many concerns

Down To Earth highlights the world’s performance on health-related development goals, where our successes lie and where efforts are still a …

Uttarakhand safest for newborns: first annual health survey

Survey will help measure progress of development goals and formulate district-level plans better, says health ministry

India among worst performers in maternal and child health

Report also mentions that one-third of child deaths occur in South Asia