New York Times India Ink: To Lower Maternal Deaths, India Urged to Reconsider Role of Midwives
“… With more than 55,000 women in India dying from pregnancy and childbirth-related complications each year, health experts and non-governmental organizations are now pushing the government to re-incorporate midwives into the strained health care system by training them in modern childbirth practices and equipping them to handle complications … According to government figures released last month, India’s maternal mortality ratio, or the number of maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, has fallen from 212 in 2007-09 to 178 in 2010-12. But it remains among the highest in the world and still significantly higher than the Millennium Development Goal target of 109, to be achieved by 2015…” (Vyawahare, 1/8).