Abstract
Andhra Pradesh, a large state in southern India, has a high maternal mortality ratio of 195 per 100,000 livebirths despite the improvements in social, demographic and health indicators over the last two decades. This contrary situation has been analyzed using findings of different studies on maternal mortality, and four factors have been presented for consistently-high maternal mortality in the state. First, the disproportionately-high focus on family planning towards population stabilization reduced the emphasis on maternal health in the peripheral hospitals, resulting in low use of these facilities for childbirths. Second, the growth of services in Primary Health Centres was not given adequate emphasis, resulting in the weakening of the peripheral health system. Third, there was little emphasis on developing a cadre of midwives who would have primarily focused on maternal health. Lastly, the low status of women in the state has hampered timely referral and access to services.
Highlights
Profile of Andhra PradeshAndhra Pradesh, one of the 28 states of India, is located in the southeastern part of the country with Karnataka in the West, Tamil Nadu in the South, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, and Orissa in the North, and the Bay of Bengal in the East
Maternal mortality in Andhra Pradesh, including efforts at estimation, the medical causes, and social factors contributing to maternal deaths
Andhra Pradesh achieved great success in development and demographic fields in the last two decades. It had the lowest decadal growth rate, the highest number of tubectomies performed on women, the largest number of women’s self-help groups, the first state population policy, etc
Summary
Andhra Pradesh, one of the 28 states of India, is located in the southeastern part of the country with Karnataka in the West, Tamil Nadu in the South, Maharashtra, Chattisgarh, and Orissa in the North, and the Bay of Bengal in the East. Its total land area is 275,045 sq km with a long coastline of about 1,000 km. The state is ranked fifth in the country in terms of its area and population size. According to the Census 2001, the total population of Andhra Pradesh was 75,727,541. The density of population is 277 per sq km compared to 312 in the country. The state has 23 districts, including the capital district Hyderabad. It is divided into three sociocultural and geographic regions—Coast-
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