At least a quarter of pregnancy related deaths recorded worldwide occur in India, according to a study conducted by the World Health Organisation (WHO). One woman dies every five minutes in child birth or during pregnancy in the country, the study said.

Out of the total 5.29 lakh pregnancy related deaths recorded world over, 1.36 lakh occur in India.

Of the total maternal deaths, about one in every three occurs post delivery and postpartum haemorrhage is the most common cause.

“The incidence of emergency postpartum hysterectomies is about 83/100,000 with a maternal mortality of 17.7% and a pre-natal mortality of 37.5%,” NDTV reported, quoting from the WHO study.

Postpartum haemorrhage or PPH is the excessive loss of blood within 24 hours of delivery.

India has a very high rate of PPH deaths recorded. This, says the WHO study can prove a major roadblock for India that is aiming to bring down its maternal death count and achieve a target of Millennium Development Goal (MDG) 5.

“The latest estimates of maternal mortality rate (MMR) in India from 2011-13, show an average of 167 deaths/100,000 live births. The same estimates also demonstrate that wide geographical disparities persist. The highest MMR can be found in Assam (300) and the lowest in Kerala (61),” said the statement.

According to the report, there is a 25% deficit when it comes to blood supply. Calling the situation ‘chronic short supply’, the report highlights how India falls way short of the global target of at least one per cent reserve.

“India, with its population of 1.2 billion people, needs 12 million units of blood annually but collects only nine million. Globally, there are innovations in the field of patient blood management, whereas in India, awareness on the management has been overlooked thus far,” it said.

Source: Huffington India