Saha, Devanik ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0982-085X (2020) Women struggle to access safe maternal care in the world’s harshest lockdown. Medical Anthropology Quarterly Rapid Response Blog Series. ISSN 0745-5194 (Print), 1548-1387 (Online)

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Abstract

Though India reduced its maternal mortality ratio (MMR) by 77%, from 556 per 100 000 live births in 1990 to 130 per 100,000 live births in 2016, its maternal health system remains tenuous. Many districts still do not have high-quality delivery services, referral services, or emergency obstetric care services essential for preventing maternal deaths. The COVID-19 pandemic has made this precarity worse. Here, I discuss the catastrophic impact of the COVID-19 lockdown on India’s already-stressed maternal health system. My research revealed that due to the government and health system’s sole focus on COVID 19, non-COVID 19 services were severely hampered, and women were denied access to critical maternal health services, leading to avoidable maternal and neonatal deaths.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information:	COVID-19 Responses Series
Uncontrolled Keywords:	COVID 19; maternal health; India; lockdown
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > H Social Sciences (General) R Medicine > R Medicine (General) R Medicine > RA Public aspects of medicine
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development > Centre for Inequalities
Last Modified:	09 Aug 2024 15:03
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/47606

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