Causes for the Decline in the Maternal Mortality Ratio in Maharashtra, India. The Period From 1990-2009

Seminar paper from the year 2013 in the subject Politics - Topic: International development, grade: 75.00% 1st Class w. Distinction, Savitribai Phule Pune University, formerly University of Pune (Centre for Development Studies and Activities (CDSA), Pune, India), course: M.A. Development Planning and Administration, language: English, abstract: India accounts for 19% of all maternal deaths globally. Maternal mortality is thus one of the most serious public health issues facing India today. During the period 1990-2009, Maharashtra's Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) dropped from around 216 to 104, making it a 52% decrease in 19 years. The MMR in Maharashtra is the third lowest in the country. In 2009 Maharashtra became one of the three states (along with Tamil Nadu and Kerala) in India to have achieved the Millennium Development Goal of an MMR of 109 by the year 2015. This remarkable drop in the MMR deserves to be studied in order to identify the reasons for its occurrence and to see whether it can be replicated in the rest of the country.