“Uttar Pradesh is ramping up maternal health efforts with schemes like PMMVY and JSY, ensuring free care, nutrition, and institutional deliveries. Despite progress, challenges like infrastructure gaps and awareness persist, particularly in rural areas. Recent data shows improved MMR, but experts call for better postnatal care and education to sustain gains.”
Uttar Pradesh Enhances Support for Pregnant Women’s Health
Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, has made significant strides in improving maternal health, driven by government-backed initiatives aimed at reducing maternal mortality and ensuring safer pregnancies. The state has implemented key programs like the Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) and Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), which focus on providing financial incentives, free healthcare, and institutional deliveries to pregnant women, particularly those from marginalized communities.
Recent data from the National Health Mission (NHM) indicates that Uttar Pradesh has reduced its Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) to 167 per 100,000 live births in 2020-22, a notable improvement from 285 in 2014-16. This decline is attributed to schemes like JSY, which promotes institutional deliveries through cash transfers, and the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), offering free delivery, diagnostics, and transport services. The PMMVY, providing nutritional support and financial aid to pregnant and lactating mothers, has also been pivotal. For instance, districts like Chandrapur have excelled in PMMVY implementation, ensuring healthy food access to reduce maternal and child mortality rates.
The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), launched in 2016, ensures quality antenatal care on the 9th of every month, with a focus on high-risk pregnancies. The Extended PMSMA strategy, introduced in 2022, tracks high-risk cases with financial incentives for Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) to ensure safe deliveries. ASHAs, a million-strong network of community health workers, play a critical role in connecting rural women to healthcare services, offering doorstep support and awareness campaigns.
Despite these efforts, challenges remain. Rural areas face a shortage of health sub-centres and obstetricians, with Gujarat’s 2012 RHS Bulletin highlighting similar issues in UP, where only a fraction of required specialists are available. Anaemia affects nearly 60% of pregnant women, per NFHS-5 data, increasing risks of complications like postpartum haemorrhage, which accounts for 38% of maternal deaths in India. Postnatal care uptake is also low, with only 10% of women returning for check-ups after delivery, as noted by health experts in Delhi.
Urban-rural disparities persist, with NFHS-5 (2019-21) showing 58.1% of women receiving antenatal care and 88.6% opting for institutional deliveries, yet rural access lags. Awareness campaigns, like the one planned for May 2025 by UP’s health department, aim to bridge this gap by promoting maternal health services. Experts emphasize the need for better education on postnatal care and nutrition to address long-term issues like gestational diabetes and urinary incontinence, which often go unaddressed due to lack of awareness.
The state’s focus on tribal and marginalized communities, supported by programs like Poshan Abhiyaan, aims to improve nutrition outcomes. However, studies from Bihar and Jharkhand indicate that universal schemes like JSY and PMMVY have not equitably reached all social groups, particularly tribal women. UP’s government is now prioritizing targeted interventions, including Village Health Sanitation and Nutrition Days (VHSNDs), to enhance maternal and child health services in underserved areas.
Disclaimer: This article is based on recent data from the National Health Mission, NFHS-5, and reports from credible sources like The Times of India, The Hindu, and WHO. Information is subject to change as new data emerges. Always consult official health authorities for the latest updates and guidance.